Photography by Kimarie Martin Photography

If you haven’t heard of pickleball, the fasting growing sport in the United States, either your Wi-Fi has been out or you don’t get out much.

Meanwhile, a recent report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association labeled pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America. With a 40% increase in popularity since 2020, today nearly five million Americans participate in the sport.

Many Bexleyites have been bitten by the pickleball bug, too. Take Sheila Torch, a Bexley resident for 68 years. Looking for an activity to replace her beloved sport of tennis, Torch joined pickleball clinics at Bexley’s Jeffrey Mansion early in the pandemic. She had just moved into a new home, where neighbors mentioned their interest in learning the game, too.

“I thought this would be a good opportunity to get started,” she says. Turns out Torch adored the game. “I love pickleball because it’s fun and keeps me active,” says Torch. Something else Torch finds attractive about pickleball is that when plays with friends, they socialize with one another while waiting for their turn to hit the court.

For Central Bexley’s Daniel Albeit, 39, pickleball has become a family affair. During COVID, his father participated in a pickleball tournament and urged Daniel to learn the game, too. “I started playing and got hooked. When my dad invited me to play, I was honored to join him,” he said. Then, just over a year ago, his brother Richard, who graduated from Bexley High School in 1998, joined the fray. Today, the brothers play doubles pickleball in tournaments, bringing home wins to celebrate. They also travel the country to attend professional pickleball tournaments. He called those experiences “humbling. It’s amazing how good the professionals are,” says Daniel. The brothers are so enamored with pickleball, they invented a holder for pickleball paddles. The Open Play Organizer (O.P.O.) is designed to hold up to fifteen paddles, depending on the model. The entrepreneurs have also donated several O.P.O.s to the pickleball courts at Jeffrey Mansion.

"I can’t put my finger on why I love pickleball. The ability to go out, have fun, exercise, enjoy camaraderie, laugh, and push myself” are reasons why Daniel says he is enamored with the sport.

Jan Kanas, a Bexley realtor and resident since 1991, says pickleball came into her life by happenstance during COVID. “No one really knew what to do with themselves, or how to act or react socially. A friend kept inviting me to play pickleball with her,” says Kanas, who says she is 60-something.

Finally, on a “grey, cold, icky” November day in 2020, Kanas met a few friends to learn how to play, she recalls. “We wore gloves, hats and masks.”

She began practicing more often and grew to love the sport. She has become more competitive, playing in pickleball tournaments around central Ohio. “I’m now up to playing five times a week,” says Kanas.

She often plays with a dedicated group “who have become good friends I would never have met or been friends with,” she says. She has also since taught her son how to play, and now he participates in two pickleball leagues. Her daughter plays, too.

Carl Landau, co-author of Pickleball for Dummies, offers his own theories about why pickleball’s popularity has exploded in the past few years, despite being around since the 1960s. Pickleball is a “sport most anyone can play. It’s easy to learn and people of all sizes, ages, and strengths can play together. You meet all kinds of new people, get some exercise and have total fun at the same time. What’s better than that?”