'We’re a blast to play': Pickleball’s popularity picks up in Moncton

If you’re looking for some fun and a good way to stay in shape during the long, cold winter, pickleball might just be the thing for you.

The Greater Moncton Pickleball Association has been operating since October and has six courts dedicated to the sport inside the Curl Moncton building on Lockhart Avenue in the city centre.

The club has 220 members and there's roughly 600 registered players in various clubs around the Greater Moncton area.

Association president Moe Belliveau says the number of Canadians playing the sport has jumped from 600,000 to 900,000 in the last two years.

“If you have a competitive side to you, you can join and play and be pretty competitive,” said Belliveau.

“If people are coming from other racquet sports, because the sport is fairly new, you can be as competitive as you want, but you can really be a rec player and have it be very social. I would say the social part is the glue that holds it all together. It’s very, very social.”

Pickleball is similar to other racquet sports, especially tennis, and is relatively easy to pick up.

Ron Penston has been playing for six years.

He said it's generally an older group of people who play, but that's changing.

“I think they're starting to introduce it to the schools so you'll probably start to see more and more younger people,” said Penston.

“I don't play in a lot of tournaments, but in the tournaments, there's more and more younger kids getting involved. The game is developing and becoming a quicker sport. It's a more aggressive sport.”

Competitors play pickleball inside the Curl Moncton building on Lockhart Avenue in the city centre. (Derek Haggett/CTV)

Janyce Arsenault has only been playing for a few months but loves it already.

Her advice for anyone who wants to start playing: just give it a shot.

“Once you try it, because I've had friends that have been playing other sports, and as soon as they've come here they've switched because they like it,” said Arsenault.

“I grew up playing tennis and squash, badminton and everything else, but as soon as I started playing this, I really loved it. It's a real fun sport.”

The Moncton Pickleball Association’s courts are open seven days a week and people of all ages and skill levels are welcome to give it a try.

“You come in, you get a free tour, you get to play it a few times before you even consider becoming a member,” said Belliveau.

“There are free training classes on Saturdays, anything you want to do. You come in, you play, you have fun and figure it out on your own. We're a blast to play.”

Arsenault said it’s a good sport for any age.

“If you've ever played any different racquet sports, it's a combination of tennis, ping pong, squash and badminton,” said Arsenault.

“Usually, if anyone's played a racquet sport, they can play pickleball. It takes a little more time to get the finesse, which I don't have yet.”

The association is the only place in the Maritimes where pickleball can be played seven days a week. The courts are open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.

Visit the Greater Moncton Pickleball Association Facebook page for more information.