San Jose residents are obsessed with the pickle ball

Pop, shuffle, whoops win. Those are the sounds of San Jose’s latest sport on the rise: pickle ball.

Pickleball, a combination of tennis, table tennis and badminton, has been the fastest-growing sport nationally for the past three years, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, and has thousands of fans in San Jose.

With 58 courts around the city and over 2,400 San Jose Pickleball Club Facebook members, players of all ages and abilities flock to local courts to play.

Harold Treat, a San Jose resident and member of the Doerr Park pickle group, said he first heard about the sport two years ago after his wife died of cancer. He joined after some friends encouraged him and found a community in the game. Treat said he loves all the positive things the sport has brought to his life.

It was actually a real lifesaver,” Treat told the San Jos Spotlight. It keeps me physically active, mentally active, socially active, and I get the benefits of being outside in the sunshine and fresh air.

The Doerr Park group plays every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning on the tennis courts from 9 am to 12 pm. Their oldest member is 85 years old.

To play, competitors hit a bright green salt ball back and forth over a net within the confines of a 44-by-20-foot court. The game is played as singles or doubles and usually ends in 11 points if one team or individual wins by two points.

Courts can range from designated pickleball courts to a blanket court where the goal lines up the size of a smaller court on a regular tennis court.

Karen Bacica, a Campbell resident and member of the Doerr Park pickleball group, discovered the game in 2018, three years after retiring. Now she plays with her grandchildren and has made many friends over the years.

They were sick of me talking about the pickle ball until they came out and tried it, he told the San Jos Spotlight.

Bacica plans to compete in the 2023 US Pickleball National Championships in Dallas in November. Players can win up to $200,000 in both the pro and senior divisions.

The San Jose Pickleball Club received a thank you from Councilwoman Pam Foley last week for all the good they do in District 9.

Foley told the San Jos Spotlight that he’s seen pickleball grow tremendously in his area, which has 23 fields. His office receives calls every month asking for more fields or requiring additional lighting. Foley plans to add three more fields to De Anza Park by next year.

Foley, who has tried the game, said the community, run by regular players, welcomes people of all skill levels. Foley is eager for her and her husband to start elementary classes.

The community spirit they create is wonderful, he said. So you shouldn’t be afraid of everyone. Get yourself a paddle, go out and play.

Bacica said he plans to play until he’s 80.

I feel like that’s my happy place,” she told the San Jos Spotlight. It definitely lifts me up to be able to do this.

Contact Annalise Freimarck at[email protected]or follows@annalise_ellenon Twitter.