VIDEO: Boating and ... pickleball? Traveler makes stop in Cape

Some people really love their pickleball.

One man, “Dinghy” Dave Pike, is navigating 6,000 miles between his Michigan home and Florida, stopping along the way to play the badminton-like sport with as many people as possible.

Dave "Dinghy Dave" Pike of Grand Haven, Michigan, plays a game of pickleball Wednesday at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau. Pike stopped here on his "Journey," a rigid inflatable watercraft, on the Mississippi River en route to Key West, Florida.Fred Lynch

He stopped in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday night to anchor his boat and camp, and by 8:30 a.m. Wednesday was working up a sweat with the local pickleball club at the Osage Centre.

Since his stop in Cape Girardeau marked the only one in Missouri, Mayor Harry Rediger proclaimed Wednesday as “Dave Pike Pickleball Day in the City of Cape Girardeau.”

Pike said he’s been playing pickleball for more than four years. When he got the urge to travel, he figured he might as well see the country’s pickleball courts.

“This gives me a kind of a window into the communities that I stop in,” he said. “I get to know the people, interact with them, and I’m meeting a lot of new friends. It’s actually making it a highlight of my trip.”

"Dinghy" Dave Pike cruises on the Mississippi River on Wednesday afternoon just north of the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge in Cape Girardeau. Pike is navigating 6,000 miles between his Michigan home and Florida, stopping along the way to play pickleball.Laura Simon

The social aspect of pickleball, he said, is one of the biggest draws to the sport — moreso even than the physical benefits of exercise. Nobody, he said, should be afraid to pick up a paddle and go to their nearest pickleball gym.

“Its always intimidating to go on the court and not know who you’re going to play,” he said. “The people are so friendly, they make sure you aren’t going to be overwhelmed by the competitiveness, because it really starts as a social game. ... People will embrace you.”

Pike cited the athletes who dominated the recent national-level pickleball competition in Naples, Florida, as evidence the sport is gaining legitimacy.

“Pickleball is exploding nationwide. A lot of people think that pickleball is only for the senior population. But the demographics of the game are quickly changing,” he said.

Dave "Dinghy Dave" Pike of Grand Haven, Michigan, accepts a proclamation from Mayor Harry Rediger after a game of pickleball Wednesday at the Osage Centre.Fred Lynch

Jack Mehner, who founded Cape Girardeau’s local pickleball club, said when a club member got wind of Pike’s journey, they made sure to welcome him.

“He’s staying in a tent right now, even though I’m trying to get him to stay in my house,” he said.

Mehner said Pike fit right in with the local pickleball community.

“There’s a bunch of really nice people in the club, so we just had a good time,” Mehner said.

Pike is scheduled to leave after a few days if river conditions permit, but not before Mehner and his club treat him to a meal at Lambert’s in Sikeston, Missouri, to give him a taste of the region.

“For me, its a passion of boating and a passion for pickleball that’s the best of both worlds,” Pike said. “Pickleball is one of the greatest sports out there. ... It’s unlike any sport that I’ve ever played.”

tgraef@semissourian.com

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