Picture yourself in a boat on a river
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes
The Franklin Creek court sports professionals held the third XGLOsive night for Landings Club picklers on Saturday, November 16th. For some of us, the evening resurrected memories of college in the late 60’s. Lava lamps, black lights, psychedelic posters, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, White Rabbit, oh wow, groovy, far out, sit ins, love ins and – well, if you were there you get the drill. Glowing colors illuminated by blacklights and raucous music assaulted picklers of all ages who gleefully joined in the fun.
And XGLOsive pickleball really is just for fun. Chris Kader suggested all participants wear clothing “that will POP in the blacklights – anything white or neon, or florescent green, pink, blue or yellow are awesome!” Very loud music enveloped the courts and naturally there was a courtside member bar for thirsty picklers. If it is sometimes said that pickleball is the most social of all sports, XGLOsive pickleball was proof positive.
There were two sessions, one at 6:00PM and the other at 7:15. The first was dominated by kids, all of whom seemed to have a blast. Think of it as Kader’s not so sneaky way of getting our younger members interested in the sport. The second was dominated by those of us who might have enough brain cells left to remember when glo lights were de rigueur.
Each of the six courts court was anchored by one of our outstanding professionals who took six players thorough several exercises. The one-hour session ended with all thirty-six picklers competing in a one-point competition to see which team took home the grand prize – a psychedelic hat. Anne Brooks and Suzanne Olin edged out Alex Fox and Ellen Pitts by winning the final point. After the last point was played, those of us who began the evening at The Deck returned for one last libation before heading home savoring memories of a nostalgic evening.
On the national pickleball scene, The Kitchen Newsletter recently ran a story about the anticipated growth of pickleball in the U. S. and the numbers of new courts needed to meet the demand. All picklers at The Landings Club know the frustration surrounding the need for new courts. There are times when finding open reservations for a court is impossible.
The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) reports annual growth of 111% in core players, those who play frequently. The South Atlantic states with 2.8 million players has shown the biggest boom with year-to-year growth of 50%. SFIA anticipates we will need $850 million to fund 24,500 courts to meet the demand. That many courts requires 1,080 acres of available usable space the equivalent of 1.7 square miles. Picture Central Park in Manhattan, which covers about 1.7 square miles, leveled and covered in pickleball courts. The bottom line: acceptable, buildable outdoor space might well become a factor in the very near future.