A relatively new phenomenon - pickleball was invented near Seattle, Washington in 1965. Pickleball combines the elements of many racket and paddle sports including badminton, ping-pong, and tennis. The core elements of the game consist of a court (smaller in width and length than a tennis court) with a slightly lower net. There can be either one (singles) or two (doubles) players on each side of the net. Players use paddles (larger than ping-pong paddles but smaller than tennis rackets) and a molded, plastic ball (similar to a Wiffle ball) to serve and volley for points. Like in tennis, scoring is based on the ball being "in" or "out" when it touches the ground and the opposing players ability to "return" the ball (put it back over the net) before or after just one touch of the ground. The total points needed to win and/or tournament rules will vary by location and competitive level.

No. Much like basketballs, volleyballs, and some other equipment - we have paddles and balls available to borrow at the Welcome Desk of any location that offers pickleball. Just stop by and give us your photo ID or cell phone as a "deposit". You can also purchase pickleball equipment from several retail stores in the Wichita-area and/or online.

Our pickleball courts are all indoors and are on our hardwood court surfaces (also used for basketball and volleyball). We have taped courts at most locations with netting available in the gyms or at the front desk. Our staff will set up the nets during scheduled play/court time and will assist players who want to put the nets up during open court time, as appropriate.

No. While our members will receive priority access to court time - anyone is welcome to play at our facilities once they qualify for and purchase a Guest Pass. We encourage everyone to consider membership and our income-based pricing is available to all who qualify. Want more details? Contact any Welcome Desk staff member at any location.

Not at this time. While we may add pickleball courts to our reservation system (similar to
our racquetball courts) in the future - we are currently only allowing open court times on a first-come, first-to-play basis. We do encourage players to share the courts and to allow new players to get in the game (similar to our open basketball courts policies). Our staff will be happy to assist when needed.

No, but we are seeing more interest from our members and the community to not only offer court time but also some formal play, so we are considering future options. Please let our Welcome Desk or any member of our Sports or Fitness staff know if you're interested in playing on a team or in a league. The more we know about the wants and needs of our players - the better we can serve those needs.

Absolutely. We're still working on the right amount of time for pickleball at our locations and getting input from those who want to and do play will be helpful. Just talk with the Welcome Desk staff or any member of our staff - you can also use our CONTACT US form to submit a suggestion.