You're invited to jump into Socorro pickleball

Athletes playing America's fastest-growing sport are looking to add more players to their group, which plays pickleball three times weekly at the City of Socorro's pickleball and tennis courts.

Local residents Kathy Markwell and her husband Bob ignited the sport in Socorro a couple of years ago, and it has blossomed into 20-25 players who meet on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

The Markwells' enjoyment of seeing the game in Florida and later getting a chance to play in Kansas left them hungering for more, and they began to explore ways of getting more people involved. Pickleball is generally a team of two players facing off against each other in a game reminiscent of a combination of ping-pong, tennis, and maybe even a little racquetball.

They learned from a professor at New Mexico Tech who also liked playing pickleball and traced their sources.

"We said we'll go over to Tech and play. Then we got the one court set up, and from there, it was kind word of mouth," Kathy Markwell said.

The group needed to find a new spot when a mini soccer field was established in their playing area, but their next move sparked some renovations by the city when pickle ballers made greater use of the local tennis courts than tennis players.

You can go to just about any search engine on the Internet and type in "What is America's fastest growing sport?" The undisputed champion is pickleball, which has grown by 158 percent over the last three years.

It's become the latest big thing for seniors because it gives them a way to exercise, be competitive, and gather to make new and long-time friends.

Ironically, the senior-dominated sport was actually invented by children in 1965 while visiting Congressman Joel Prichard on Washington's Bainbridge Island. The kids had a typical childhood complaint of being bored, and Prichard challenged his son and the other children to create their own game.

The next time Prichard and his friends envelope entrepreneur Bernie McCallum and international businessman Bill Bell saw the kids they were on Prichard's badminton court using a plastic ball and a combination of ping pong paddles and perhaps both tennis and racquetball racquets.

The men were intrigued and began playing. When they began making up the rules of the game, their kids went to find something "less boring" to do. Two years ago, Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill declaring pickleball Washington's state sport.

There's good reason for Inslee wanting to link his state to pickleball. In 2022, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association listed it as the fastest-growing sport in America. At that time, there were 4.8 million players, which was about a 40 percent increase from three years ago, and the sport is still going strong.

There are now an estimated 8.9 million players in the U.S., and the City of Socorro took notice when Markwell and other players talked about redesigning the tennis courts to accommodate pickleball.

"The one thing we wanted was the fences between them because we've gotten around to many courts in the other towns, and they don't have dividers. The city kind of agreed to everything we asked," Markwell said.

Pickleball is an ultra-easy sport to pick up, and socialization is the biggest attraction for many players. The equipment cost is relatively low. The two most significant items are a pickleball paddle and a solid set of footwear. Paddles range from $25 to $200, but many players have extra ones, and anyone watching courtside is soon asked to participate.

Karen Fowler was introduced to the sport by her friend Sharon Hall, and she's glad she decided to try it.

"I had never played, so I started playing pickleball and became addicted the first go around," Fowler said. "I've always enjoyed sports. So, it was easy to jump right in."

Fowler, who has been playing for two years, also stressed you don't have to be a super athlete because pickleball is mainly about fun.

"People shouldn't be concerned about not being able to move fast. Our group here is not that kind of a group. We enjoy everybody coming in. We have a 10-year-old up to an 87-year-old playing," Fowler said. "We have a new family here. We get together outside of the court, usually about two or three times a year, and have a good potluck dinner or whatever. We sometimes celebrate birthdays together or reach out and acknowledge people's birthdays."

Fowler was recovering from shoulder surgery before she started playing pickleball, and the sport seems to have given her added confidence when she hits the court.

Hall's introduction to the sport has roots back to Markwell's desire to bring pickleball to the community.

"Kathy and Bob were walking by my house one day, and they said, 'You know, Sharon, we'd like to introduce you to a little game called pickleball,' and they had a net. We arranged a time when we came out to the court, and we started playing pickleball, and that's how I started," Hall said.

The quick enchantment with pickleball comes in part because the game is straightforward to learn. Another attraction is that pickleball has always geared its rules to prevent big athletic people from dominating the court.

There's an underhand serve, and the ball has to bounce before you can return it. An area known as the "non-volley zone" or the "kitchen" prevents tall players from being able to spike the ball because their feet have to remain behind a line.

Last year, pickleball got another boost when NBA great LeBron James bought part of a new professional pickleball team. Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady joined an ownership group that purchased an expansion team. There's so much confidence in the growth of the sport. Tom Dundun, owner of the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL, bought Pickleball Central, the largest retailer in the U.S. for playing gear.

If you're interested in learning about or playing pickleball in Socorro, the group meets on Monday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 a.m. during summer, at 8 a.m. in the spring and 9 a.m. during the winter. The action goes on until the players are tired and ready to go home. Take along some water and sunscreen, and introduce yourself.

"There's no reason to buy a racquet because someone will lend you one to play that way, you can find out if you like pickleball or not," Fowler said.

How did pickleball get its name?

Prichard, the game's semi-inventor and "rule maker," had a dog named "Pickles."