New facility in State College aims to serve pickleball community, draw newcomers to the sport

With millions of players across the United States, pickleball has been called one of the fastest-growing sports in the nation. At the State College YMCA, the sport’s local popularity is evident as the YMCA continues construction on a new pickleball facility.

The dedicated outdoor facility will replace the makeshift pickleball court created on the YMCA’s hockey rink.

According to Josh Cone, senior director of health and wellness with the YMCA of Centre County, the game was introduced at the State College YMCA about five years ago.

“Over that time period, there became a really solid, core group (of players) that became really good friends,” Cone said. “They look after each other, they have birthday parties for one another, they go through the good times and some bad times.”

Pickleball is a popular sport among the Baby Boomer generation, Cone said, with the USA Pickleball Association noting the average player is 41 years old, with a core group of regular players aged 55 and up. One of the State College pickleball community’s goals is to introduce the sport to younger demographics.

With a goal of opening the rink by the end of spring 2021, the project has been a long time coming. Several years ago, Cone says, “We sat down and discussed it ... I got some pricing and came back with a ballpark figure.” From there, YMCA staff and the pickleball community came together to fundraise the $180,000 cost of the court project, recently meeting their goal.

“We saw the opportunity to first and foremost serve the community and provide something to a population that’s significant in this town,” Cone said. “We really try to focus on families and seniors at our facility. It’s what this town really has a lot of, a lot of people in those categories. We really wanted to offer something and make something awesome — top of the line, good quality.”

While the court cost is now covered, the YMCA is still looking for local businesses and foundations who would be interested in contributing to the project, with the goal of bringing travelers into the area for future pickleball tournaments, clinics and other events.

“Down the road, we’re looking to expand (the program) to get the younger generation involved, whether it’s teens or youth. (Pickleball) is very easy to pick up, but very fun to play. I play a lot of times with people who are, at times, twice my age, and I’m someone that runs marathons and participates in triathlons, but I’ll have someone twice my age kick my butt. I get humbled very quickly,” Cone said. “If you come over, in about 10 minutes, we’ll have you playing. This is a good community that looks forward to getting people into the sport and expanding the community that plays.”

The pickleball facility will include five courts, which Cone says will accommodate “a good chunk of people.”

“(Pickleball) is a great way to interact with other members of the community and it’s been really cool to see the relationships and friendships grow at the Y that weren’t there five years ago,” Cone said.

Any business or foundation interested in assisting the pickleball court project can reach out to Cone at jcone@ymcaocc.org.