MERIDIAN, Idaho — Just in time for winter, a indoor pickleball facility has opened in Meridian.
The sport has taken all age grounds by storm and grown so fast over the last few years.
- The Flying Pickle is located in Meridian
- Tennis and pickleball players will appreciate the new facility so public tennis and pickleball courts can be freed up
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
“If you know anything about pickleball it’s the number 1 fastest growing sport in the U.S.” said Barr.
Pickle balls are flying at The Flying Pickle
The first-of-its-kind facility in Idaho opened Mid November, offering an inclusive, accessible and fun space for people to play the popular sport.
Susannah Barr is the Pickleball Director and a professional player herself. The Flying Pickle Co-founder says she SAW the need for more courts in the Treasure Valley.
“You go to the parks and you’re going to wait a long time to get on and obviously with the weather, it getting colder, or in the summer it gets really hot here. We just wanted a place that people can come out of the elements and play whenever they want,”
She hopes the added courts in Meridian will relieve some stress between tennis and pickleball players, “If you try and play on the tennis courts you know obviously the tennis players can get a little frustrated by that.”
Pickleball players tell me they sometimes take over tennis courts if pickleball players have already claimed the other courts, "but if no one's playing tennis, I'll hop on a tennis court, but I understand they are tennis courts so I will get off for someone, but if no one's here I'm playing," said Finger
Whatever side of the court you're on, some players believe the two sports can learn from each other, “and when you adapt together you become good players,” said Kavavand.
Steve Kakavand used to be a tennis player himself, and once he found pickleball, he said it was like a dream come true, “and I realized, ‘Oh my god, I’m so natural with this,’ and then boom here you go. I’m playing 5 or 6 days a week, and I love it, it’s just amazing, it changed my whole life, I’ve met so many people,”
Besides the Flying Pickle’s restaurant and bar, in their facility, they also stand out by offering youth programs, “We have great programming, so we're adding a lot of youth programming. Which there’s not been any youth pickleball in the Treasure Valley,
The FLying Pickle says they welcome poeple of all levels and all ages. At Settler’s park, I’m Allie Triepke, your south Meridian neighborhood reporter, Idaho News 6
