Pickleball’s popularity continues to surge in Hudson Valley

NEVERSINK- Jack Harb stumbled upon a pickleball game at a park in the Town of Neversink three years ago.

Harb, 46, had never played pickleball before but was invited back by the players to give the sport a try. He returned to the park for a tutorial and is now a fixture at pickleball courts throughout Orange and Sullivan counties, playing pickup matches and in leagues.

“I played once, and I was hooked. I was basically addicted,” Harb said. “I fell in love with the game and I’m not alone. I have played every sport and pickleball is a combination of all sports, which makes it amazing. We have thousands of people playing pickleball around here.”

Pickleball has become wildly popular in the Hudson Valley with public and private courts popping up all over, attracting players of all ages and skill levels. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), pickleball was the fastest-growing sport in America for the third consecutive year in 2023 with 8.9 million players playing in the U.S., up from 4.8 million in 2022.

That number is expected to surge to over 20 million this year. Pickleball is a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping pong. Participants hit a perforated hollow plastic ball over a 36-inch-high net using solid-faced paddles.

“Pickleball is great because you get a good work out, it is fun and anyone can play,” said Middletown’s Michelle Hostutler-O’Keefe, who is an ambassador for U.S.A. Pickleball (USAP) and helps run the OCNY Pickleball Facebook page. “When I started playing eight years ago, I knew maybe 20 people that played and there was only one place to play, Orange Hollow Racquet Club. It has grown so much that I can’t keep up, but I think it is wonderful and want it to grow even more.”

Pickleball was invented in 1965 in Bainbridge Island, Washington, by three friends. The first game was played on a badminton court with a pair of ping-pong paddles, following the same rules as tennis. Pickleball remained…