Professional pickleball tournament comes to North Texas
FRISCO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - It's being called the fastest growing sport in America and this weekend, a pro tournament is happening right here in North Texas.
The Professional Pickleball Association Tour Round Up at Lifetime Frisco is drawing both professional players and hundreds of amateurs.
"It doesn't matter what level you are, you can sign up and you can play against players in your own age group, your own skill level," the Professional Pickleball Association Tour's Connor Pardoe said.
Susan Nissley and Nancy Yingling are two of the local amateurs participating.
"It's an addiction," Yingling said. "It really is an addiction."
"Once I started playing it I could not stop," Nissley said. "I was playing like six days a week and maybe taking a day off for rest."
Pickleball is becoming widely popular.
According to USA Pickleball, close to 5 million Americans have now picked up the sport. That's a growth rate of nearly 40% in the last two years. Courts are popping up all over North Texas.
"The cities are realizing we need to start building courts to meet demand," Nissley said.
Players say to get started, really all you need is a paddle and a ball. The rules are relatively easy to learn.
"I mean we play and we're in our 70s," Bill MacVeigh said. "It's just fun for older people and it's good exercise."
"I just love the competition, the social aspect of the game is amazing, the camaraderie you get among players," Nissley said. "Give it a whirl. There's nothing to lose!"
Check out more about the tour here.