Pickleball Coming to Clinton | Sampson Independent

A new phenomenon has taken over the nation. A descendant of tennis, table tennis and badminton, Pickleball is on the rise. The sport has found a following due to its relative ease of learning. In addition, it is not as physically demanding as other sports, so the age range is wider.

California, Florida and Texas are the leading states where courts can play the game. North Carolina is currently ranked fourth. The Sampson Recreational Center is breaking ground and looking to increase that number.

In 2014, a master plan was drawn up to bring new tennis courts to Clinton. Recreation and Parks Director Jonathan Allen plans to bring tennis and pickle ball to Sampson County.

“Clinton doesn’t have tennis courts for public use. We have two sets here, but the problem is they’re unusable for safety reasons,” Director Allen told the Independent.

Pickleball exploded onto the national scene. In August 2022, the deal was finalized after long delays and the COVID pandemic. The first offer fell through when the seller didn’t respond, but in the end they had reached an agreement with another company in the second round.

“It took a while for them to get out of here. It’s not unusual for some of these delays to be due to the size of the project. They’re looking at bigger projects, this is just two tennis courts and they’re working like crazy. In short, we hit it at the wrong time.”

In 2022, the sport had grown in popularity by 158%, making it the fastest growing sport in America.

“Not long ago the median age was 55, now it’s 33, the sport has grown incredibly fast.”

Fortunately, foresight had the game plans ready, as the courts will be used for both tennis and pickleball with goal line covers to divide the court. They have plans to add more courts later. With that in mind, they hope to add more to expand Sampson County’s athletic opportunities.

“I think a lot of people miss out, there was a social side to tennis and pickle ball that people don’t understand. It’s a huge community and we want to help bring people together. There is a group that gives lessons and we have already prepared some lessons along the way. Probably around the spring of next year. I have heard nothing but good things about the group. There is a senior series track going through Goldboro and maybe Kinston, we just didn’t have the facilities. We are currently waiting for an open game. As we move forward, I can see us setting up lessons for both of us. It could be a league, but first we need to generate interest. Allen said.

It is estimated that the courts will be completed by the end of summer or the beginning of autumn.