Pickleball was recognized as the fastest growing sport by the Sport & Fitness Industry Association for two consecutive years and the Bronx is home to the newest courts in the city.
Photo ET Rodriguez
With a 53% increase in participants since 2022, pickleball has been recognized by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association as the fastest growing sport in America. Today, the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) estimates the game having 8.9 million players across the nation and the Bronx is joining in the ranks as new courts open across the borough.
Out of the 61 outdoor public courts and 16 indoor courts in NYC, only eight are in the Bronx — but it is not destined to remain that way.
“We will continue to look for opportunities to add more Bronx courts where possible,” said Jessenia Aponte, Bronx borough commissioner of NYC Parks.
A pickleball court was opened in Riverdale Playground last month and one in Crotona Park near 173rd Street in April. On a recent Friday, Ed Graybow, tournament player and coach, and Lydell Capers, dean of students at LION Charter School, led a demonstration at the Crotona Park court where he was giving away paddles to attendees donated by Killa Dinks — a paddle company.
“It’s an opportunity for youngsters to learn the most up and coming sport in America,” said Graybow.
Capers who was helping lead the pickleball demonstration was introduced to the sport by Graybow. Capers immediately took to it, holding a pickleball demo at his school in Hunts Point earlier this year.
“What I love about it is, you can connect people of all ages through it. It’s not too overly competitive. There’s people in their nineties playing,” Capers told the Bronx Times.
The sport is much more difficult to explain than it is to play, but essentially, it’s like tennis with badminton rules. It requires a court, a net, lightweight paddles and a wiffle ball which one dinks, yes dinks, across the net.
It’s low-impact,…
Read the full article here
