By Beth David, Editor
Fairhaven officials, state Rep. Bill Straus, and pickleball enthusiasts gathered for the official opening of the new pickleball courts at Fort Phoenix on Sunday, 6/12.
Ken Pottel of the Fairhaven Pickleball Association called the growth of the organization “explosive.” He said they started with blended lines at the tennis courts at Cushman Park, and eight members. Now they have dedicated pickleball courts at Fort Phoenix, more planned for Livesey Park, and more than 200 members, all in just three years.
The FBA will hold a tournament on July 9 and 10, and will be sponsoring a youth pickleball program.
Mr. Pottel introduced state Rep. William Straus, saying he played a “key role” in getting the Fort Phoenix courts built.
Rep. Straus told the crowd of about 200 that Mr. Pottel is persistent.
He said they talked about added pickleball lines to the tennis courts at Fort Phoenix, but did not want to create conflict. Instead, they decided to reuse a portion of the park that had already been paved at some point, but was no longer in use.
“This is the first state park pickleball in Massachusetts,” said Rep. Straus. “And to no one’s surprise, it’s a big success.”
Rep. Straus said they saved money by using the same bid documents from the Cushman Park project.
“So many great ideas I get to work on come from people locally,” said Rep. Straus. “And there is no better example of that than this.”
Fairhaven Select Board chairperson Stasia Powers also spoke, telling the crowd that Mr. Pottel was indeed persistent, with constant emails and contact to get the project done.
“He’s dedicated to making our community better,” said Ms. Powers, who is a pickleball player herself.
At the beginning, it was maybe 16 people.
“Now it’s crazy,” said Ms. Powers.
She said they played all through the pandemic, because they could be outside. They even shoveled snow to play.
“It was our social outlet,” she said. “It was an amazing outlet.”
Ms. Powers also said Fairhaven was getting known for pickleball. She asked for a show of hands of people from out of town and they were from all over the region and out of state.
“It can only benefit our town to have these recreational places,” she said.
Adam Rogers, one of the owners of South Coast Pickleball, which will have seven indoor pickleball courts a the former Carousel Skating Rink on David Drown Boulevard, also addressed the crowd.
He said he connected with Mr. Pottel and he is about bringing people together. Mr. Rogers said he wants to work with the FBA as a partner, eventually having tournaments at his place, in addition to open play.
“It’s been nothing short of amazing,” he said.
Many players stress the social aspects of pickleball. It is a game that can be played by all ages and abilities.
Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong on a court the size of a badminton court, and uses a light ball with holes in it. It is one of the fasted growing sports in the county.
“You can play at any age,” said Mr. Pottel, who is 77 and plays with an 89-year-old, adding that so many have never played a sport before, but like pickleball, especially for the social aspect.
“It’s the best think I’ve done in my life,” said Lolly Pinto. “The people are so great and inviting.”
“It’s a fun sport,” said Maria Nogueira. “It keeps you active and it’s great for socializing and meeting new people.”
To learn more about the Fairhaven Pickleball Association, visit https://www.fairhavenpickleball.com/home, email fairhavenpickleball@gmail.com, find them on Facebook, or visit the courts at Fort Phoenix (across from the gazebo) or at Cushman Park.
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Click here to download the entire 6/16/22 issue: 06-16-22 Pickleball
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