If you haven’t heard about pickleball yet, you will. It’s an interesting cross between tennis, badminton and ping pong — and it’s sweeping the nation. There’s even a national pickleball league and a new TV show called “Pickled,” hosted by Stephen Colbert, and it’s devoted entirely to all things pickleball.
While most players are still 65 and older, the game is seeing its strongest growth among players 55 and under. The sport even has an official governing body — USA Pickleball — and two national professional tournaments have been formed in the last four years. The game is definitely on. Now it’s just a question of keeping up with demand.
Fortunately for Winter Park residents, the city saw it coming. “We had pickleball in Central Florida when it was starting to pick up, but now it’s blowing up like wildfire,” said Mike McCosker, Recreation and Family Services Manager for the city’s parks and recreation department. “When we remodeled the tennis center in 2019, we added a hitting wall/pickleball pop-up area. That’s when we got into the pickleball game.”
When it came time to resurface the tennis courts at Cady Way, the city saw an opportunity to turn two of the tennis courts into six pickleball courts — which opened in February 2021. “In just over a year and a half, a Facebook page created by volunteer Kenny Schreiber for Cady Way pickleball players has more than 2,000 members,” Mike noted. “That’s pretty impressive. They do court updates, talk about different levels of play, and post photos of themselves playing there.”
Besides social media, Mike believes the biggest reason for the sport’s popularity is the ability for everybody to play at all skill levels. “I think that’s where it really picked up steam. The seniors brought their kids and grandkids out to play with them, which then boosted interest. And as long as it’s not raining or lightning you can play anytime you want.”
Thanks to Cady Way’s two volunteer ambassadors, Will Winsemann and Michelle Byrne, everyone who comes to play is made to feel at home. “Cady Way is unique place,” Michelle explained. “You can just walk up and you’re welcomed. You don’t have to know how to play pickleball, but if you’re a good player there’s a place for you. Plus, you don’t have to come with a partner. Everyone is welcomed, and it’s just wonderful.”
Until just a few years ago, Michelle’s passion was tennis. She started playing at four years old and teaching at age 16. When she retired just over a year ago, she put down her tennis racket and hasn’t picked it up since. “I love pickleball. It’s not just about the exercise. It’s about the inclusivity and it’s about the social aspect of pickleball. I get to see my friends, and it’s nice meeting people I’ve never met before. I just love it.”
For those new to the game, Michelle assures them that you don’t have to have racquet skills to get started. “You can literally play the first 10 minutes you go out on the court.” For those with experience playing tennis, she describes pickleball as “10 and under tennis” for adults. “It’s a small court, it’s a small paddle, it’s a lower net, and you don’t need a lesson.”
Will Winsemann’s pickleball journey started as a way for him to spend more time with his mom. “When she first introduced me to pickleball I wrote it off as some kind of ‘old people’ sport like shuffleboard or bingo. But when I played with her for the first time, I was surprised at how difficult it actually was.”
At age 27, playing with her retirement-age friends, Will lost his overconfidence quickly. “I was thinking this should be easy. So why are all these old people beating me at the sport?!” But rather than give up, he decided to practice and improve his game for the next time he visited her. “I wanted to give her and her friends a good game, and not embarrass my mom,” he laughed.
When the new courts were built at Cady Way, about five minutes from his house, Will was excited and started inviting all of his friends from pickleball to meet him and play there. “That was basically the foundation of what’s going on today, with huge groups of people. There are lots of new people coming every day and learning the sport. And it all stems from when my mom introduced me to pickleball.”
Will then organized a group of his friends to keep coming regularly on Tuesday night. And then he was approached by somebody who actually was a USA Pickle Ambassador. “It's a volunteer position through the USAPA. They're like the main governing body of pickleball in the United States.
the purpose of a pickleball ambassador is to basically just help pickleball spread and grow. Um, and that's what I was already doing unofficially. And so pickleball ambassadors, uh, from the central Florida area started reaching out to me and encouraging me to volunteer to become a pickleball ambassador. And so, uh, that was when, you know, I went through the application process and then Wow. Uh, a few months went by and then, uh, I was accepted into the program. And, uh, now, you know, we all work together in central Florida. There's several pickleball ambassadors actually in central Florida, uh, and we all work together to, uh, help promote the growth of pickleball.
“If you asked me 10 years ago, I’d have said pickleball’s a fad. Now I can’t see it going away anytime soon.”