There were a lot of smiles earlier this week at Manitowoc’s new Pickleball Connection Club.
A ribbon-cutting was held at 1455 N. Rapids Road Wednesday at noon to formally welcome the public to the new facility located behind Connection Church.
Gary Underwood of Newton, founder, and Pickleball Connection board president, explains why here in Manitowoc.
“Well, the question is why anywhere because every city needs pickleball. We want to save one city at a time. That’s our goal,” he said with a chuckle.
Underwood says the 4 courts inside the building are specially cushioned for playing comfort.
“The beauty of this is it was built just for the sport,” he explained. “When people play here and experience the constraints on other places, they love this space. So, there’s no better place to play in northeast Wisconsin than right here.”
The Pickleball Connection founder also told us about the joint effort between his club and Connection Church.
“They had the space, they volunteered this space. It was a good thing because the church can carry this asset,” he said. “You have a long-term lease and the church has access to it. So, it’s synergy between two organizations that really works well.”
One of the pickleball enthusiasts we spoke with was Dawn LeClair.
“Actually, I think this is awesome to bring to the Manitowoc community,” she told us. “I have a lot of friends in Green Bay that I’ve played ball with up there. And they’ve been playing up there forever and have been trying to get me into it. So, I’ll get into it with this court, get them to come down here and play and we’ll have some fun.”
Board and club member Belinda Esquinas was beaming with job following the ribbon-cutting, saying “I love playing pickleball and it’s not only fun, but a very social sport as well.”
Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the country and is a game that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong.
For more information or how to become a member, go to www.pickleballconnectionclub.com.
