As sunshine gave way to snow, the Newmarket pickleballers played on through the wind and the cold Nov. 19.
Every morning, a dedicated group of pickleballers — most of them older than 50 — will come out to the Quaker Park outdoor pickleball courts to enjoy the sport they love. Last year was the first time they played through the winter, with the town keeping nets up and the group clearing away snow, something they intend to do again.
“It’s the most fun sport I have played,” organizer Caroline Novinic said. “It’s challenging, it’s very social, and we have a wonderful group of people.”
Pickleball is a growing sport across the country, and locally, according to Newmarket's players. Novinic said they are up to about 50 in their recreational group who come throughout the winter, and 84 during the summer. Players hit a ball back and forth, similar to tennis, but with significantly smaller court sizes and rackets.
Newmarket entrepreneur Justin Mitchell has started organizing people in a summer league with his business Elevation Athletics, reaching 225 players this past year.
He said the sport is a lot easier to succeed in compared to the likes of tennis, helped by smaller court sizes.
“Pickleball is so easy to pick up and so easy to get good and be competitive,” he said. “Just the fun of the sport, the rallies that can continuously go on, make the sport so fun and make it so addicting.”
Pandemic restrictions also aided the game, Mitchell added. Unlike many other sports, the distance between opponents and the lack of direct contact made it more COVID-19 protocol friendly.
“It helped it grow a lot. You weren’t allowed to play basketball, the hoops were taken down. Everyone was scared to play football; you couldn’t touch anything. Hockey, you couldn’t go and play either,” Mitchell said. “The next best thing was to try something new, and that new thing was pickleball.”
Newmarket player Allan Fishman said it is a sport he enjoys for exercise and camaraderie.
“You go to pickleball, and it’s really more fun, and you can be very competitive,” he said. “It’s the fastest-growing sport in North America, and more people should try it.”
With that growth comes some challenges. The Newmarket pickleballers have not approached the town much on the issue, but they hope they can get more courts in the future to accommodate their players. There are six dedicated outdoor courts at Quaker Park, with another six possible at the tennis courts at Joe Persechini Park. The town also runs an indoor pickleball program.
Novinic said that is not enough at peak, with the sport often played in pairs, four people to a court at a time.
“There’s a lot more people playing,” she said. “We need more courts in Newmarket.”
Mitchell saw another entrepreneurial opportunity in the game, starting a second business called World of Pickleball to sell equipment to a burgeoning audience.
Although the sport is frequented by older folks, Mitchell is trying to expand it to a young audience. He said there is hope for that with school boards starting to teach it in gym classes. Pickleball Ontario has put out an eight-week elementary lesson plan.
“I believe youth leagues are going to be popping up very shortly, and I think pickleball is going to go on a very huge curve upwards,” he said. “Once the youth get a hold of that sport, it’s going to be booming.”
For now, the Newmarket pickleballers will keep playing through the winter, whether under sunny skies or pelting snow.
“Once you start, you are hooked,” Novinic said. “If you want to have a good, outdoor sport, this is the place to be.”
