Pickleball planned for Pinnacle

The international phenomenon of pickleball is making its way to Stokes County.

Representatives from the Pinnacle Lions Club recently obtained permission from county officials to modify the tennis courts at Pinnacle Lions Park and transform them into six pickleball courts.

The project — which will be fully funded by the local Lions Club’s fundraising efforts — is envisioned as a way of meeting increasing demand for the sport in the area with many added benefits.

“We’re trying to build community around pickleball,” said Bart Stone, a Pinnacle Lions Club member who is spearheading the effort with his wife Mary Lynn Stone.

“It kind of harkens back to the old type of mentality of building community around something we can all rally behind and still have fun with.”

Pickleball is a racket sport played with a small plastic ball that combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong.

“Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States as it appeals to players of all ages,” Mary Lynn Stone said in a statement. “It requires little experience to participate as well as low cost of equipment to play. It is one of the most addictive sports around because of its social as well as competitive components. Pickleball is projected to be incorporated into the Olympics within the next 10 years.”

Bart Stone conveyed that information to county commissioners when pitching the project at the May 28 meeting.

“The problem with pickleball is that there’s no place to play,” he told the Board. “Stokes County does not have a dedicated place to play right now.”

The only place to play in Stokes County is at the Stokes Family YMCA. A court with limited daytime hours are available in the facility’s north and south gyms. Nearby Tobaccoville also has two courts that are overlaid on tennis courts.

“Mary Lynn and I both play regularly at the Y,” Bart Stone said. “We’ll go up there and there will be 30 people waiting to play pickleball.”

Dedicated courts in Mount Airy are similarly packed — even after the city doubled an initial three courts to six.

Pinnacle Lions Park, located right off U.S. Highway 52 near Pinnacle Elementary School, is in an accessible spot to help meet the demand.

“Where it is geographically located is very conducive to the players in the area,” Stone said.

The tennis courts at the park were built in the 1970s and have not been refinished in that time. While they’re still playable, they’re not suitable for league or tournament play. Only one of the two courts has a net, Stone said.

“It’s gotten to the point where there’s such disrepair that they’re not used that much,” Stone said. “We’re trying to turn that into something we use a lot.”

The Lions Club plans on sponsoring leagues, tournaments, summer camps and open play times.

The club used to be active with Pinnacle Elementary School sponsoring leagues at the park, but those were curbed during the pandemic and never recovered.

The pickleball courts would be a means of revitalizing that effort.

It is also hoped that the courts will help boost membership in the local Lions Club, as the club’s building — with its restrooms, air conditioning and refrigerator — is available to members.

The Pinnacle Lions Club is working on raising $85,000 needed to complete the project. Fundraising efforts are beginning as soon as possible. A QR code was developed that will allow businesses and individuals to donate directly to the cause.

The project should take about two weeks once the money is raised, Stone said. A contractor is lined up, but the work has to be done in warmer weather.

Donations will be sought from the pickleball community as well as businesses.

Further fundraising efforts may eventually include things like T-shirt sales and raffles.

“We’re just running the gambit trying to get this done because you want to make this as nice as a facility and as an inviting facility as we can,” said Stone, noting that 10% of the funds raised will go towards the Lions Club’s Brighter Visions initiative that provides sight-saving vision screenings for children.

“We’re trying to get that facilitated, especially in some of these more rural areas that don’t have all the conveniences or accessibility that some of the larger cities have,” Stone said.

Once the courts are established, tournaments can be used as fundraisers for the Lions Club’s service initiatives.

“It really is a wholesome community event that’s really going to fill a need within the community,” Stone said of the sport.

“It’s such a low barrier to learn how to play,” he said, speaking to pickleball’s popularity.

“It’s just one of those things, the more you play, you just can’t help but get better, and then it gets more addictive.”