Pickleball — America's fastest-growing sport — is booming in San Antonio. What is it, how is it played, and why is it so popular?
From left: Jessica Balladares and Damon Fortenberry play pickleball on one of the new courts dedicated to the growing sport at the Thousand Oaks Family YMCA.Activity at the recently refurbished courtyard at the Thousand Oaks Family YMCA on a recent Monday evening tells the story of the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. while illustrating San Antonio’s love of all things social.
Some players on the busy courts took a relaxed approach to play, hitting balls over a waist-high net amid friendly chatter. Other courts were the scene of intense battles — the ball moving rapidly back and forth between opponents’ paddles without touching the ground. It’s San Antonio’s community-driven nature that’s driving pickleball’s popularity in the 210, said 75-year-old Ed Beyster, the acknowledged father of San Antonio pickleball.Nonprofit news is the future. Local news is the future. We exist to serve San Antonio by bringing our very best selves to this work every day.
Pickleball was born — although the source of the game’s strange name is still debated today. Some say the sport was named after Pritchard’s family dog, Pickles. Others say Pickles came later, and the name “pickleball” came out of a reference to the thrown-together leftover nonstarters in the “pickle boat” of crew races.
Soon other local gyms and sports clubs started asking Beyster for help making and opening their own pickleball courts — at the request of their members, he said. The sport really took off locally with the opening of For him, the best part of pickleball is its social aspect; Kurburski said he’s made some good friends through the sport. He attended the recent grand opening of the 10 courts at the Thousand Oaks Family YMCA.
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