By ALEXANDRIA

BOURNONVILLE

Jouranl Staff Writer

MARQUETTE– One sport is dominating the greater Marquette area and even the nation, in 2023. Not football, archery or skateboarding– it’s pickleball. But why?

Co-founder of the local pickleball enthusiast group, Brandon Mackie, provides some insight.

“Now that we’re in this world where a lot of people don’t even go to the office anymore, a lot of that sense of community that people had isn’t there,” he said. “Pickleball fills an important void for that.”

Played on sizable courts in singles or doubles with rotating partners, pickleball is “almost a miniature version of tennis,” Mackie said.

One of the biggest differences is the plastic ball and paddle used in the game making it “less technical” and “a lot easier to learn” he noted.

Mackie’s group — the Pickleheads — plays together at the Marquette Senior Center and the YMCA of Marquette County. This broaches the topic most think of when pickleball is brought up–isn’t that a game for old people?

“One of my favorite parts is just how easy this sport is to learn for people,” Mackie said. “I can bring anyone out on the courts. You can learn it in your first time playing, you can even win games your first time. I think for people, especially older people that don’t have months or years to learn a new sport, that has a ton of appeal.”

There’s no age requirement to play pickleball. It’s accessible to anyone who can safely participate in the game. For that reason, it’s socially stimulating, especially since the end of social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic which began in 2020.

“I work remote(ly), so I’m locked in my office all day with computers, so it’s just an important way to get out,” Mackie said. “Pickleball is played in a large, open format. You got 20, 30, 40 people all going out to the court at once taking turns, rotating partners and it just provides a lot of opportunity to meet people.”

Pickleheads.com, the group’s website, is a platform Mackie wished was available when he started out his pickleball journey.

“There wasn’t really a good source of information for finding courts or games. I had to really dig through Facebook groups or try to have it all happen word of mouth,” he said.

Mackie noted that participants have had some noise complaints, but he said the benefits to the community “far outweigh any of the negatives.”

Alexandria Bournonville can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 506. Her email address is abournonville@miningjournal.net.