Park Advisory Board Supports Pickleball in the Palisades

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

After hearing a presentation about pickleball at its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, November 10, the Pacific Palisades Park Advisory Board voted unanimously to support the conversion of one tennis court into a hybrid playing space.

Kane Phelps, a nearly 40-year resident of the Palisades, started his presentation about the “fastest growing sport in the world” by sharing that at 81 years old, the past year has been “unequivocally the best year” of his life.

“Some contribution to that is a warm and loving family, a very vibrant and meaningful business,” Phelps continued, “ … and on top of that, pickleball. Pickleball is magic, my friends.”

Pickleball is described as a paddleball sport, which combines elements of tennis, table tennis and badminton. Two to four players use paddles, made from wood or composite materials, to hit a perforated ball, similar to a wiffle ball, over a net.

He explained some of the benefits of pickleball, including it is a relatively cheap sport to start, it’s easy to learn and easy to play, and it makes for great low-impact exercise.

“The most important thing of all is one: fun,” Phelps said. “It’s a fun, pro-social game. You don’t play it in singles, you play it in doubles, so four people play at any one time.”

Currently, at Palisades Recreation Center, Phelps is part of a group of around 45 players who gather between the two gyms and play pickleball on Wednesdays and Saturdays in makeshift, temporary courts.

“We chalk out the lines, and we put up the net and we play,” Phelps explained, adding that because of the location, the players end up spending a large portion of the time chasing down balls that get lost in the wind and trees or roll down the hill.

“We come with a very simple and very humble request,” Phelps said. “The city has control … over the four lower courts. We would simply ask to have one court shared [with] pickleball. One court striped for pickleball with limited time frames where people can come.”

One tennis court can be divided into four pickleball courts, which means that 16 players are able to participate in games concurrently.

PAB Vice Chair Robert Harter asked Phelps if the court is striped for pickleball, would it also remain available to tennis? The answer was yes, the net is moved out of the way for pickleball games but could be returned to its original spot when converting the court space back over.

Following Phelps, Anna Shirley, who grew up in Pacific Palisades, shared that in 2012, USA Pickleball had 4,000 members—a number that has since grown to eight million players. Since the start of COVID-19, pickleball has grown by 21%.

She described pickleball as a multi-generational sport, played by participants ages 5 to 95.

“We have a large number of seniors in the Palisades that play pickleball,” Shirley shared. “Since the courts popped up at the rec center, it is so heartwarming seeing these Palisades seniors with a sense of belonging to community, socializing, laughing, making new friends and getting exercise.”

Mike Tomas, who runs the Palisades Tennis Center at the park, shared during the meeting that he is in support of sharing one of the courts with pickleball. He sent a letter into the city of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commission, who have control over the decision, saying that he has witnessed a growing demand and that it should be looked into.

Palisades Recreation Center Acting Senior Facility Director Ejiah Cooper, who is also in support of pickleball at the park and sometimes joins in the Wednesday games, explained that the tennis courts are available on a first come, first serve basis between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. After 5 p.m., the courts can be reserved until they close around 8 p.m.

“We are on your side, you don’t have to plead,” Cooper said. “We’re just trying to get it to work out … we really want to make it happen for you guys, we’re figuring out the how and when.”

The Park Advisory Board voted unanimously at the end of the discussion in support of creating a permanent space at the rec center for pickleball.