TACOMA, Wash. — The city of Tacoma is capitalizing on the booming popularity of Washington state’s very own sport with a Halloween-themed pickleball tournament.
The sport has become so popular that the city has restriped six outdoor tennis courts to keep up with demand.
Joseph Womack is the pickleball and fields supervisor for Metro Park Tacoma and said he was a tennis player for decades.
“We can fit four pickleball courts in the average tennis space and they share a net so it doesn’t take anything away from tennis” Womack said.
He and the Metro Parks Tacoma team are trying to keep up with the demand for pickleball by hosting the city's first “Pickle-Boo” tournament on Halloween weekend. The tournament is hosted by the Grit City Gherkins Pickleball Club.
“Grit City is an old nickname for Tacoma and Gherkins are tiny pickles, so it’s a club name you can’t forget!” said Lily Schmidt with Metro Parks Tacoma.
The city is facilitating indoor and outdoor pickleball with four recreation centers and many outdoor courts serving as hybrid courts for tennis and pickleball.
Tee Robbins is 89 years old and said she felt the love when she got involved with pickleball.
“I just love it! I play with adults and the little kids too,” Robbins said.
The numbers don’t lie. The sport has seen a 150% increase in Tacoma over the last year and the city has worked to create more court space at Point Defiance, Vassault, Jefferson and Stewart Heights parks with indoor courts at Norpoint, People’s and Eastside Community Centers.
Pickleball was invented on Bainbridge Island in 1965. The inventors said they wanted to create a sport the whole family could play when they were bored. The sport grew by more than 40% during the pandemic.
The approachable, family-friendly and inclusive nature of pickleball has quickly made it an industry in cities like Tacoma. Organizers said they hope the Halloween-themed doubles tournament is first of many for the city.
Schmidt said the city hopes to be the go-to place for pickleball and it all starts with a tournament that unites the newcomers and the elite.
“We have a big vision,” she said.
The tournament will be held on Oct. 30. To register for the 2022 Grit City Gherkin Pickleball Club Pickle-Boo Tournament, click here.