Features
What a (Pickleball) Racket
Seattle pickleball fans, rejoice. New courts open.
By Rob Smith September 21, 2023
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2023 issue of Seattle magazine.
I love pickleball. My mother-in-law plays five times a week. A work colleague has a court in his backyard. My neighbor even gave up tennis for the sport, which was founded in Washington state decades ago.
Now, Seattle is serving up more options for the sport’s growing legion of fans.
Two permanent, bright purple pickleball courts have opened off Denny Way at Fifth Avenue and Vine Street. The courts are free and open to anyone. No reservations required.
Bellevue’s Astria Pickleball kicked off the project with a donation, and the Seattle Department of Transportation has pledged half-a-million dollars for seating and landscaping.
A pickleball court is also planned just south of the Ballard Bridge in the Interbay neighborhood at a site where a bagel stand recently stood.
A new report recently found that pickleball is the most popular game to learn in the United States. Last year, Gov. Jay Inslee even declared pickleball the official state sport of Washington.
This should make all the picklers happy.
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