The Pickleball passion: as demand grows Minneapolis adds more public courts
MINNEAPOLIS -- It's a sport growing by the second. Pickleball is becoming so popular in the Twin Cities that Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB) is creating more courts to use.
In a few weeks, the dilapidated tennis courts outside the Nokomis Community Center will be transformed into six new pickleball courts. MPRB says they are getting so much public interest in pickleball and adding more courts.
Pickleball striping will also be added at Bloomington Avenue and East 50th Street tennis courts in September. In addition, more new outdoor pickleball courts will begin construction next year at Loring Park and Dickman Park.
The sport has grown so much in Minneapolis that MPRB says their spring league waitlist has over 100 people on it.
Pickleball coach, Rachael Kroog, has been teaching beginner players around several metro parks. She's been playing the sport for nearly 20 years.
She says sees the popularity firsthand, as her classes fill up quickly because so many players want to learn.
"[Pickleball has] just exploded," said Kroog.
She believes the hype around the sport is because it's relatively easy to learn.
"It's an instant gratification, and that's kind of the world we're living in now, so it feeds that," said Kroog.
Kroog says Minneapolis is behind the suburbs, where you can already find a lot of public pickleball courts, like the multi-court in Washington Park in Richfield. However, she says the addition of the Minneapolis courts is better late than never.
"It's the old adage: build it and they will come, but the fact of the matter is, they're already here," said Kroog, "I'm glad that Minneapolis finally sees that this isn't going anywhere."
The sport has grown so much, several bars and restaurants now have pickleball courts, including Lucky Shots Pickleball Club and Minneapolis Cider Company. Smash Park is another pickleball eatery destination, coming to Minneapolis soon.
Life Time has a dedicated pickleball club in Bloomington, with more than 250 courts across the country, and expecting 400+ by the end of 2022, and 600+ courts by the end of 2023.
Construction of the Nokomis courts will be finished by spring 2023.
Click here for more details on Minneapolis Pickleball courts and leagues.
