One of the fastest growing sports in the United States now has a permanent home in Seward.
The City of Seward and pickle ball enthusiasts hosted a dedication for the new pickle ball courts at Moffitt Park Oct. 14. The courts were completed in May.
Pickleball, played on a 20 by 44 feet court with paddles and plastic balls, got its footing in Seward last year. Jodi Hughes, who fronted the pickleball movement in Seward said she began playing the sport in Lincoln but noticed lines taped on the tennis courts at Plum Creek Park. She wondered who was playing and if a group would take hold in Seward.
Shortly later, she got a group together. The first pickleball session saw four individuals show up. The group soon grew to 25 players and now sits at 40.
The players play Monday, Tuesday and Thursday each week. Hughes said the skill level varies with each player, but everyone who plays has fun. Score is kept, but games are friendly in nature.
“The little motto we have for pickleball is ‘fun, fitness and friendship,’” Hughes said. “People have made friends that will last forever through this group.”
She added that pickleball is a sport for all ages and fitness levels. Anyone is welcome to join in and can be taught along the way.
“We love teaching more people how to play. We encourage anyone to come on down and learn how to play,” she said. “You have to start somewhere, so we promote that it’s for anybody of any age.”
Hughes said that while the sports popularity has skyrocketed in Seward, she hopes to continue to see more new players join.
With a new home at Moffitt Park, she feels that the pickleball group has become its own little community within Seward. The players take care of the courts, blowing leaves and debris off before games and patching gaps in the bottom of the fence to prevent balls from leaving the courts. A bench dedicated to her late husband, John, sits at the courts as well.
Everything about the new courts, she said, shows the pride the group takes in its sport.
“People have really taken it under their wings,” she said. “They want to help promote the game.”
The enthusiasm of the group is apparent each session, Hughes said. The laughs and camaraderie are what makes it special and why she encourages anyone to play.
“We love to joke with each other and a lot of funny things happen during the games,” she said. “It’s all about playing a game that’s fun and sharing laughs with each other.”
