Pickleball fever on fire in Doniphan

The 150 members of the Current River Pickleball Club are among the 36 million pickleball players nationwide. There are over 10,320 pickleball facilities across the country, according to the website Pickleheads.

Doniphan players gather at the four dedicated courts at Doniphan’s Riverfront Park. They meet three times a week to play a sport that is a mix of ping pong, badminton and tennis.

In a match, two-player teams take turns serving and volleying the ball on a rectangular court smaller than a tennis court. Games are played to 11, 15 or 21 points and can only be won by a two-point advantage. The sport encourages team play and player camaraderie.

“You can’t walk onto a pickleball court and not laugh and have a good time,” said Doniphan resident Greg Kenley.

Kenley is a USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) ambassador and the person who brought the sport to Doniphan. He and his wife played it for the first time while on a visit to Corpus Christi, Texas seven years ago.

“We figured out in the first 30 minutes that we loved it,” he said.

When he returned to Doniphan, he approached Mayor Dennis Cox about converting one of the town’s tennis courts over for pickleball. At the mayor’s suggestion, Kenley met with utilities director Ron Griffin at Riverfront Park.

“We laid out what needed to done, got it done and by the end of the summer we had 35 to 40 people playing,” Kenley said.

“There is a pickleball court finder app used to locate courts and we get people who show up here because they found us on the app,” he said. “People from Sri Lanka, Scotland and South Africa have played on our court.”

The sport of pickleball was created by three vacationers on Bainbridge Island, Washington, in 1965, according to the Pickleheads website.

“Anyone of any age can play,” said Kenley. “Between my wife and me, we have introduced over 150 people to pickleball.”

Kenley offers his phone number 573-703-3040 and the group’s Facebook page to anyone interested in playing.

“We are always happy to help people learn,” he said.

He recommends new players wear any athletic clothes they have and use a borrowed paddle at first.

“When they decide to play, they can get a paddle, but get court shoes before you get a paddle,” he said. “You can turn your ankle easily.”

He wants potential players to know that now is a good time to start playing.

“Our courts are getting an overhaul soon,” he said. “We’re getting new nets and new paint.”