Pickleball is on the rise in the Grand Valley, learn how to play

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — From net-grazing dinks to powerful slams, pickleball has exploded nationally over the past three years. Jeffrey Smith, president of the Western Slope Pickleball Club (WSPC), tells WesternSlopeNow that the game has gained the attention of millions of people.

“In 2021, there were 4.8 million pickleball players in the United States, now there’s 36.5 million. It’s been the fastest-growing sport in the country for three years in a row,” Smith said.

Pickleball is picking up steam in the valley too, with the WSPC jumping from 300 members in 2021 to nearly 850 this year. If you’re looking to get in the game, here’s how to play!

First, pickleball is played on what looks like a smaller version of a tennis court. Second, it’s typically played as doubles with two people on each team.

To start a game or a rally, the player on the right side of the court, facing their opponents, starts with a serve. Serves must be underhand and hit cross-court into the service area. The ball must also bounce on both sides of the court before either team can volley or hit the ball on the fly.

Players hit the ball back and forth until they score or a fault happens, such as hitting the ball out of bounds or hitting a shot into the net. Ed Roffey, a local pickleball instructor, tells WesternSlopeNow that one rule to be mindful of is the non-volley zone close to the net.

“Everybody calls it the kitchen, it’s the non-volley zone. And everybody I teach lessons to, who’s new to the game, seems to have this rule wrong. It’s called the non-volley zone. If you’re in the non-volley zone, all it means is you can’t volley the ball,” Roffey said.

If you’re hesitant to get started, Roffey said pickleball is easy to learn and the best way to improve is to play.

“Pickleball is pickleball. Just go play as much as you can. You don’t have to be an athlete to be good at pickleball,” he said.

As for the social aspect of pickleball, it’s a smash!

“The cool thing about pickleball is the social side of it. You just come down here and you can get into a game and play. So, you make a lot of friends here. I moved here 6 years ago from Oregon and I had no friends when I got here. Now I’ve got all my pickleball friends from playing down here. I’ve met hundreds of people, it’s great,” Smith said.

If you’d like more information about how you can get involved, you can find the link to the Western Slope Pickleball Club’s website here and the city of Grand Junction’s pickleball page here.

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