Pickleball Makes the News in Hendersonville

Making moves that make the news...

The Times-News recently featured pickleball play at the Henderson County Athletics and Activity Center.

Pickleball's popularity grows in Henderson County

More and more residents are coming out to the Henderson County Athletics & Activity Center to play pickleball, and participation in the Senior Games competition has also increased.

Pickleball combines elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis. Two, three or four players use solid paddles to hit a ball similar to a Wiffle ball over a net.

"Our department has offered pickleball since we opened the Athletic Center gym nearly four years ago. What started as a core group of about 20 people has grown to nearly 150 of our members that participate in pickleball regularly," said Lani Thompson, recreation program supervisor for Henderson County Parks and Recreation.

"Currently we are offering open pickup pickleball five days a week, and on average, get about 30-35 players daily.

"We have also seen a large increase in participation for our Senior Games pickleball tournaments, held in May each year. It has been great to see the interest in the sport grow immensely in Henderson County, and we continue to try to accommodate the larger groups that we are seeing at this facility."

Thank you to the Times-News for publicizing our sport.