It鈥檚 the sport that鈥檚 sweeping the nation, and there appears to be no slowing it down as pickleball can be seen and heard at parks all over the D.C. area.
Spurred by the pandemic and people seeking a socially distant activity, the paddle game played on a court smaller than a tennis court has exploded in popularity.
鈥淎nyone can play, it doesn鈥檛 matter your age, your ability 鈥� you will have fun,鈥� said Cori Lathan, a regular player at Capitol View-Homewood Park in Kensington, Maryland.
Jeaneen White coaches pickleball in the Takoma neighborhood of D.C. and sees it as a sport all ages can play.
鈥淔rom my 13-year-old son to my 80-year-old friend, I love that it brings ages together to do something that is good for your health,鈥� White said.
With its soaring popularity, the indoor pickleball game has become big business as well, with several facilities popping up all over the District.
鈥淚t鈥檚 social and competitive, it鈥檚 a community,鈥� said Cristin Caine, who coaches at Dill Dinkers in North Bethesda. 鈥淚 think people love that they can just show up to open plays and not have to text a million people to see if they can play, and you don鈥檛 have to worry about the weather.鈥�
The sport that shares court space with tennis is also sharing shelf space at stores that were once tennis specific.
Tennis Topia’s owner, Marco Impeduglia, saw the change coming about two-and-a-half years ago at his Rockville, Maryland, store and quickly made the adjustments.
鈥淧ickleball was starting to blow the tennis world out of the water, and that鈥檚 when I realized there was a lot of demand for pickleball paddles, shoes and gear,鈥� Impeduglia said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a big hit ever since.”
鈥淲e are about five years into the pickleball wave and it鈥檚 been growing every day, every week, every month,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just easy to find now an outdoor pickleball court, either blended line or dedicated, especially in the DMV area and it鈥檚 really easy to start playing.鈥�
Fourteen-year-old Dylan Salzman started playing pickleball recently, but is moving up the ranks fast, capturing Montgomery County鈥檚 first ever open division championship in doubles for Northwest High School last fall.
Salzman鈥檚 goals with his newfound sport: 鈥淢aybe get recognized, possibly to go pro, because I think it鈥檚 a really good sport and I think I am not bad at it. So I think if I get a shot, I won鈥檛 waste it,鈥� he said, in reference to Major League Pickleball, which was formed in 2021.
鈥淧ickleball is here to stay,鈥� Lathan said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be an Olympic sport, I am sure of it.鈥�
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
漏 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
