This article begins with an optimistic note for all lovelorn, single Landings Club picklers. Don’t despair. No longer must you prowl the courts or haunt one of the many Landings Club bars in search of a significant other. The days of booking a cabin as a single on a nude pickleball cruise in hopes of meeting “the one” are over. Finally… finally there is a pickleball dating site. Logon to www.pickleball-dating.com to find your match. No need to wonder if your potential significant other is a dinker or a banger, just connect on Pickleball Dating and ask before suffering through another unsatisfying match. As their tag line suggests: “Let’s meet on the court.”
Those picklers for whom size matters, brace yourselves. We take pride in the fact that Rhythm and Rally in Macon, Georgia boasts the largest indoor pickleball facility in the country. According to Einar Andersen who along with his wife Betsey played there a few weeks ago, R&R has “Thirty-two very good courts on two floors with ample space between, climate controlled with no wind or blinding sun. Altogether it is an excellent venue that will only get better once they add the restaurant they are planning.”
According to reports, R&R is about to lose its distinction as the biggest. Hall of Famer and Super Bowl-winning Drew Brees, former star quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, is set to open a 38,000 square foot venue in the Crescent City. In addition to pickleball, the facility will offer padel, duckpin bowling and a beer garden. Maybe it’s time for someone, perhaps a group of Landings Club entrepreneurs, to defend the honor of the great state of Georgia by turning Savannah’s still empty Bed, Bath & Beyond into an even bigger indoor pickleball arcade.
Those questioning the long-term viability of pickleball take note: Montgomery County, Maryland, is making headlines by becoming the first school district in the United States to introduce pickleball as a varsity sport. Starting this fall, all 25 high schools in the county will have their own pickleball teams, thanks to a groundbreaking partnership with the DC Pickleball Team and JOOLA. The program was offered in eleven high schools last fall, and its success led Dr. Jeffrey Sullivan, the director of system-wide athletics for MCPS, to expand the program for the upcoming school year. This will be replacing varsity handball, which Sullivan saw decreasing in participation following the pandemic. According to Sullivan, “We’re excited about it because it’s not only just going to provide opportunities for students while they’re with us in high school, but really, it’s going to set the stage for a life of health and well-being.” Maybe it’s time for Chatham County Public Schools to follow suit.
Finally, I suspect we all agree, the Paris Olympics were a huge success. The games are in the history books, and the US team performed brilliantly. One question remains: How long before pickleball becomes an Olympic sport?