The YMCA in Silver Spring will be one of the first branches of the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington to add pickleball to its programs, according to a press release.
The Y plans to add more than 20 courts in Silver Spring, YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase and YMCA Arlington Tennis and Squash Center, with twice as many added by the end of 2022.
“Pickleball is an inclusive and social sport that allows players to get outdoors, have fun and work out,” said Pamela Curran, executive vice president and COO for the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington in the release. “Pickleball is the perfect pandemic sport since people can still socially distance and get great exercise both outdoors and indoors at an extremely affordable price.”
Pickleball in played by singles or doubles on a court the size of a badminton court and combines elements of badminton, tennis, and ping-pong. Players use a perforated plastic ball and composite or wooden paddles about twice the size of ping-pong paddles, often on existing tennis courts (although the courts are outlined for pickleball.)
According to Pickleball USA, the sport grew in 2020 to 4.2 million players in the US, an incredible growth rate of 21.3% from 2019 (per the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s (SFIA) 2021 Topline Participation Report, released in Feb. 2021).
An open house for interested players will be held on Thursday, May 20 at YMCA Silver Spring from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
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