SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 17 MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 FOCUS SPORTS & BUSINESS NEW LOOK. SAME REPUTATION. Serving the Ozarks for over 50 years. MASTER PLUMBERS & GASFITTERS 24-HOUR SERVICE & REPAIR • Commercial & Residential Excavation Service • Gas Line Installation & Repair • Licensed Septic Installations • Sewer & Water Line Replacement • Drains • Water Heaters •Jetter Service REEDSPLUMBING.COM 417.831.6122 Pickleball Basics Here’s a handful of pickleball terms: DILLBALL Shot that is inbounds and has bounced once, becoming a live ball. OPA Sometimes shouted out after the third shot has been hit that open volleying has begun. PICKLED The equivalent to getting skunked in other sports, scoring zero points in a whole game. If you lose a pickleball game 11-0, you’ve been pickled. VOLLEY LLAMA Refers to an illegal move, or fault, where the pickleball player hits a volley shot in the nonvolley zone. Sources: USA Pickleball, TotalPickleBall.com and PickleballPortal.com Pickleball is played on a 20-by-44-foot court with a net height set to 34 inches at the center. A nonvolley zone extends 7 feet back from the net on each side, commonly called the kitchen. It uses a perforated plastic ball and composite or wooden paddles larger than those used in pingpong. The sport can be played indoors or outdoors with singles or doubles competitions. The start of a game incorporates what is called the two-bounce rule. The serving team serves the ball crosscourt to the returning team. The serve must land past the kitchen in the box diagonal from the server. The returning team returns the serve off a bounce and now the serving team also must let the return of serve bounce before hitting it. From there, play is open, meaning everyone is now allowed to hit balls out of the air. In pickleball, you only score points when serving. Games are typically played to 11 or 15, and you must win by 2 points. Complex as a collaboration between the pickleball club and the Springfield-Greene County Park Board. Battaglia said over 300 people played, and attendance was around 500. A second edition is planned June 23-25. “Through the tournament proceeds and sponsorship donations, we raised over $45,000 for Springfield-Greene County Park Board. With that money so far, they’ve been able to upgrade and expand the pickleball courts that are at Meador Park,” he said, noting the court count doubled to 12. Battaglia said Meador Park has the only public dedicated pickleball courts in Springfield, although several other venues, such as the Pat Jones YMCA, Schweitzer Church and Redline Athletics, allow for pickleball games in their gymnasiums. Additional pickleball-related work is planned, Park Board officials confirmed. A proposed second phase at Meador Park would add six more courts, as well as permanent restrooms. The third phase would rebuild the existing courts slab, while adding new lights and fencing. No timeline is in place for the work, Battaglia said, noting an estimated cost of $1.5 million. Financing for the work is still to be determined. Springfield also got a win in the sport when the Park Board, Springfield Sports Commission and regional organization Pickleball Blast secured the city as the host site of the USA Pickleball Middle States Regional Championships for the next two years. The Cooper Tennis Complex will host the tournament, set for June 1-4 this year, and May 30-June 2, 2024. “I understand we beat out some competition from Chicago and Milwaukee,” said Springfield Sports Commission Executive Director Lance Kettering. “Our hopes are to prove ourselves with this one and that it expands into an even bigger opportunity in the future.” He estimated the competition, which has drawn 700-800 participants in past years, will generate $500,000-$600,000 annually in spending from visitors. “The growth of the sport is really quite staggering,” Kettering said. Making investments Some future developments want to have pickleball among the amenities. GDL Enterprises LLC seeks to include green space for pickleball courts as part of its $1 million development dubbed the Loose Goose, which is a planned coffee shop, bar and recreational venue on the Grant Avenue Parkway. The sport also is expected to be part of outdoor games to eventually be offered at 4 by 4 Brewing Co.’s recently opened taproom in Fremont Hills, according to officials. In Republic, voters approved renewal of a quarter-cent capital improvement sales tax last year that will, in part, provide revenue for the $40 million Republic Sports Park and Athletic Complex. Development of the property that fronts James River Freeway between U.S. Highway 60 and Farm Road 156 is currently in progress. Part of the project’s second phase includes up to 12 pickleball courts, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. A new offering from the owners of Classic Rock Coffee LLC has added a pair of indoor pickleball courts in its facility at 1900 W. Sunset St. Classic’s Yard spans 20,000 square feet connected to the coffee shop, said co-owner Mark Schwien. It opened to customers Feb. 1 and has indoor sport and yard games, such as cornhole and a golf simulator, he said, declining to disclose startup costs. The pickleball courts, which can be rented for $30 per hour, became available to customers around five months ago, he said. Rentals are frequent, noting a recent Friday already had 13 reservations by early afternoon. “That stuff has really taken off quick,” he said, adding Gerald Perry Tennis Co. built the courts. Sophie Pierpoint, vice president and business development officer at Old Missouri Bank, got into the sport in 2020 and frequently participates in tournaments in women’s and mixed doubles. Besides the social aspect, Pierpoint said she saw the networking and relationship building potential. “As I’ve met people throughout the community that play, I’ve just brought them on board as new bank customers,” she said, estimating the current total has surpassed 100. “I saw that there were a lot of bankers playing golf but not a lot of bankers were playing pickleball.” She said OMB is involved in tournament sponsorships and has made an undisclosed investment in branded gear such as pickleball rackets and T-shirts. “The new thing I did this year for the bank to spread the word even more is take on what we’re referring to as brand ambassadors,” she said, noting Battaglia is one of them. “They’re helping us with promoting the sport and promoting the bank.” With newer venues welcoming pickleball and the demand seeming to grow every year, Battaglia said the demand for the sport with the quirky name shows no slowdown. “The sky’s the limit. Both nationally and locally – even with all the growth – we’re still on the uphill slope,” he said. • Pickleball: SGF to host national tournament Continued from page 9 $45K Money raised and spent to upgrade pickleball courts at Meador Park provided by SOPHIE PIERPOINT Sophie Pierpoint, right, says the sport is good for business networking. She’s pictured with pickleball partner Michelle Billionis, owner of The Coffee Ethic.
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