Bethel Park resident Wayne Reno was on a casual walk through South Park when he first discovered pickleball.
“Someone from the group said, ‘Do you play pickleball?’ I said no, and they just invited me to play,” he recalled.
Now Reno and a group regularly show up at the new pickleball courts in Bethel Park’s Millennium Park to play together.
Targeting all age groups, pickleball is on the rise, being deemed the fastest-growing sport in America for the third year in a row, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.
The idea for the Bethel Park courts came about after municipal council sent out a survey asking residents about improvements to the community.
“The council wanted to improve the facilities of our offerings here in the municipality,” said Jason Mentel, director of recreation. “This is one of the things that they felt we needed here for the municipality that added value to the community.”
Construction started in September, and the grand opening for the courts was June 6. There was a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony in honor of this event.
Out of excitement, Reno attended the ceremony. When he arrived, other members from his original pickleball group were there to witness the event.
“Our group from South Park has really migrated here,” Reno said. “I’m still getting to play with the same people, but meeting new people, too.”
With a background in tennis and pingpong, Reno was able to translate the skills to his new found sport.
Beyond getting his competitive fix in and improvement of technique, Reno has come to enjoy the social aspect of the game.
Having moved to Bethel Park in 2019 from Lancaster, Reno had trouble finding friends that share interests with him throughout the midst of the covid-19 pandemic. The new courts were able to change that.
“I met someone playing pickleball who plays guitar, and now we get together and play,” Reno said.
The courts do not just cater to Bethel Park residents. Lindsay Moskal is originally from Upper Saint Clair. She and Daniel Bieliski, who was visiting Moskal, came out to the courts after hearing about them through social media. Moskal’s brothers also told her about the courts, saying they were nice.
Moskal explained that there are only two courts at the park near her house, which results in the pair often having to wait in line to play.
“Coming out here and having 10 courts, the convenience is really nice,” she said.
Five are open courts, and the other five are available by reservation online.
Bieliski said pickleball is not a heavy exercise sport, making it appealing to people from all ages and demographics. That, combined with the fact it is easy and relatively inexpensive to play, has made it the highly ranked sport that it is today.
Moskal and Bieliski also touched on the social aspect, saying it is a good way to meet people in the community.
The long-term plan is to offer lessons and programming for people who want to learn how to play, according to Lindsey Sibert, assistant recreation director. The overall goal of the recreation department is to encourage people to be active.
“Pickleball is one of those games that it doesn’t matter if you’re 9 or 90,” Sibert said. “You can still play and be active and have a good time.”
Reno said the Millennium Park facility will help make it more attractive for families to move to Bethel Park.
“I don’t mind paying my Bethel Park taxes, my Allegheny County taxes, because I’m getting a lot in return.”