Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
BEDFORD – Minutes after the ribbon was cut officially opening Bedford Parks Department’s new pickleball courts, the pop, plink, dink of paddles hitting balls echoed across Wilson Park.
Players in the city’s fall league wasted no time breaking in the new asphalt.
Monday’s ribbon-cutting celebrated the completion of six new courts in Wilson Park. Previously, games were played on tennis courts.
Bedford, like many communities in the Radius Indiana region, has seen the rapid growth of the sport. Cities and towns that have seen a demand for leagues and beginner clinics have ramped up efforts to build pickleball courts to provide space for the fast-growing sport.
Participation in pickleball nearly doubled in 2022, increasing by 85.7% year-over-year, and by 158.6% over three years, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. The sport is played by 8.9 million people in the US. Initially embraced by retirees, it is now the fastest growing sport among adults under 55, according to USA Pickleball.
Bedford Mayor Sam Craig called the courts a quality of life amenity for residents and also praised community partners for working together to get the courts built..
Jimmy Jones, Bedford Parks Department director, credited Mike Mitchell, former parks department director, with having a vision for the courts several years ago and assisting with the project.
“When I took over as park director, it was one of the first things I wanted to do,” Jones said.
A contribution from the Bedford Recreation Foundation, which raises funds with its annual Claude Akins Memorial Golf Classic, offset project costs.
“This is a great opportunity to enhance the quality of life here,” said Tom Elliott, BRF president. “Anybody who participates in the Claude Akins, whether you’re a player, sponsor or volunteer, you play a role in this, too. We wouldn’t be in a position to raise the funds without the golf tournament.”
Pickleball around the region
Several other Radius Indiana communities are in the process of building courts. The nonprofit group Loogootee Pickleball Inc. is raising money to build four courts. In August, the group received a $25,000 matching grant from the Martin County Community Foundation that was matched with $25,057 in donations. More fundraisers are planned.
Work is nearing completion on two pickleball courts in Bloomfield, part of a $200,000 park improvement project that will also include a shelterhouse, ADA playground and exercise stations.
In Orange County, the French Lick Resort is adding three pickleball courts at the West Baden Springs Hotel’s East Park; opening date is set for Oct. 1. The resort will add three courts at the French Lick hotel in 2024.