League reflects sport’s demand
60 players came out for first session in fall with more expected this spring
Pickleball is such a smash hit in Marin County that the sport with the funny name even has its very own league.
Bored from the lack of organized activities during COVID-19 last fall, Alyson Aiello and Teresa Toepel, both tennis players, decided pickleball deserved a structured platform in Marin. Shortly after they came up with the idea, Toepel’s daughter, Katie, designed the league website and Aiello sent out email invitations to other tennis folks and their friends.
The Marin Pickleball League drew 60 players for its first session in November and expects to have more than 100 players sign up for its sixth session in April.
“We saw it as a way for people to get outside and be active and social, with new people outside of their regular groups,” says Aiello, a 58-year-old from Kentfield. “We also really think that our league helps give structure for those people who need it to motivate them to play. It’s very similar to someone who only goes to a gym workout if there’s a class for them to attend.”
The league is just one indicator of pickleball’s popularity in Marin and its rise as one of the fastest growing sports in America:
• Novato’s Hill Recreation Area, which completed a $7.8-million upgrade in September, features six public pickleball courts. There’s a Meetup group —Marin Pickleball for All — that hosts open play Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 1-4 p.m.
• Pickleball lines have been added to tennis courts at private clubs such as Mt. Tam Racquet Club in Larkspur, Tiburon Peninsula Club, Scott Valley Swimming and Tennis Club, Bay Club Ross Valley, Rolling Hills Club in
Novato and Canon Swim & Tennis Club in Fairfax.
• Pickleball equipment is available for purchase at most sporting goods stores, including Sports Basement in Novato and Brad Gilbert Tennis Nation in Greenbrae.
“It’s a whole different game than tennis,” says Toepel, a 58-year-old from Tiburon. “There’s no way you won’t laugh.”
Indeed, the fun factor elevates Pickleball’s popularity. So why is pickleball so fun?
It’s new to most people so the newness creates an even playing field from the start.
Pickleball also features familiar elements of other sports, including tennis, table tennis, badminton, racketball, volleyball and whiffle ball. The hard, plastic ball with holes — think whiffle ball — is quite whackable with the racketball-like paddle, even for a first-timer.
Aiello and Toepel have been pleasantly surprised with teens and young adults signing up to play with their parents. Pickleball has also created space for tennis players to team up with their non-tennis spouses. It’s multigenerational, gender-neutral and well suited for non-jocks.
“Historically, people have always found that hitting an object back and forth,
no matter what sport, was far more enjoyable if that exchange could be prolonged,” says Rod Heckelman, longtime general manager at Mt. Tam Racquet Club. “Pickleball eliminated the (tennis) serve and many of the overheads, taking away the physical negative impact on the shoulder. It also provides a smaller space to cover so less footwork was needed, and senior players found it more enjoyable because this allowed the ball to stay in play. Due to that, it is easier to learn and get positive feedback.”
This broad appeal has Aiello and Toepel thinking beyond their league. They’d like to start a league where
private clubs compete against other clubs, similar to tennis. Another idea is to coordinate pickleball birthday parties and events. They’re already offering lessons based on demand created by their league and the sport’s popularity.
Aiello and Toepel vow that pickleball will never replace tennis. But the sport named for a pet dog certainly has become their pet project.
Marin Pickleball League
When: Sessions run monthly, with sign-ups ongoing Where: Matches are self-scheduling, with most taking place at public courts Web: https://www.marinpickleballleague.com Instagram:
@marinpickleballleague Cost: $20 per person
Pickleball fun facts
• 4.2 million people played pickleball in 2020, an increase of 21% over 2018, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
• Pickleball is named after the dog owned by one of the sport’s originators
• Pickleball started in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, just north of Seattle, and the original court on Bainbridge Island serves as the pickleball pilgrimage.
• A pickleball game starts on the side closest to Seattle because that’s where the sport started. Novato’s George Silvas, Candi Phillips
and Russ Wilson are official USA Pickleball ambassadors. Alyson Aiello and Teresa Toepel, co-creators of Marin Pickleball League, have applied to become ambassadors.
• Richard Roberts is cofounder of Larkspur-based NewFit Sports, which sells pickelball equipment on Amazon. The popular package features two paddles and four balls.
• Pickleball balls last a long time and can be used over and over, unlike tennis balls.
• There’s a ball machine just for pickleball.
• Mill Valley Recreation offers round-robin play at Boyle Park. The Spring session starts April 14.