Page 34 - BusinessWest December 26, 2022

“She said, ‘I’d love to get pickleball courts at HCC,’” Stewart said. “The floor was scheduled to be redone anyway. I said, ‘when we redo the floor, we’ll put them in.’”
Indeed, when the floor in the Bartley Center gym was redone over this past summer, inserts for existing indoor tennis nets were removed, and inserts for pickleball nets were installed, along with permanent pickleball court lines.
“It’s beyond what we expected. We knew it was going to be popular, but had no idea how popular.”
Now, for a $5 per visit fee, any member of the general public can come to HCC to play what has been touted as the fastest-growing sport in America.
“We’re offering the courts and all the equip- ment — nets, balls, and paddles,” Royal said. “We have everything here you need to play, and it’s all new.”
The seven pickleball courts at the Bartley Cen- ter are available weekdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Courts cannot be reserved in advance, but instead are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no pickleball fee for HCC students and Bartley Center members, while others are charged $5.
“It’s going quite well; we’re getting anywhere from 35 to 40 players a day,” Stewart told Busi- nessWest. “We get a lot of positive responses; peo- ple are glad we did it and wish it was open even
more to them.
“If you need a paddle
and ball, we provide that, but most folks bring their own,” he added. “People are into it big time. Play- ers range from novices to advanced, so it’s not like it’s just advanced folks taking over. All abilities come in and play, and they gravitate to each other based on ability level.”
Andrew Rogers sees that same phenomenon on the four new pickleball courts the town of South Hadley installed over the summer at Buttery Brook Park.
“We have open-play
nights on Tuesdays and
Thursdays and play
mixed doubles; everyone
swaps around the court,”
said Rogers, the town’s
Recreation director. “We
While cold weather has put a damper on things, South Hadley’s new pickleball courts have a 10-year-old boy
have been wildly popular since opening in August.
who plays, and a friendly
Department, among others. Alongside the courts
couple in their 70s. Every-
one plays together, and people are supportive of
are a picnic area where players can stretch and
each other. It continues to blossom and grow.”
wait for a game, and the South Hadley Electric
Staff Photo
34 DECEMBER 26, 2022
TRAVEL & TOURISM
BusinessWest
Pickleball had been on the town’s radar for five years and went through several budget cycles before it was approved, along with some fund- raising and assistance from the DPW and Parks
Light Department donated labor for lighting and electrical work.
The courts opened for play on Aug. 1, and about 100 people showed up for games and a