A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Cheryl Donahue hits a ball Thursday morning while partnering with Marilynn Pavlich for a set. Donahue also played with her granddaughter, Juli Steinert, in a later match. Juli was the lone teenager on the courts that day, but the game is a good fit for all ages.
Bill Hoffman jumps up for a return shot while his doubles partner, Neil Nemmers, stands ready to play behind him. The pair were playing at the new pickleball courts by Churchill School Thursday.
Anyone who thinks getting older means being less active should visit Cloquet's new pickleball courts on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday morning.
Last week the courts at Churchill Elementary/Sunnyside Park were packed with mostly senior citizen players, using paddles to bat what looked like a tiny wiffleball back and forth on the bright blue courts. The women players outnumbered men by a ratio of about 4:1. Heart rates were elevated but there was a lot of laughing going on too.
When asked what she likes about pickleball, Cloquet's Nancy Nelson responded "Everything!"
"I like the camaraderie," she said. "I like getting outside to play. I used to play tennis but started to feel pretty slow. We play hard here, but no one really cares about winning. This is great exercise and so much fun."
Bill Hoffman, a driving force in the Cloquet pickleball scene, is thrilled with the newly completed permanent pickleball courts, which replaced one tennis court. (The other tennis court has lines for both tennis and pickleball and a regular-sized tennis net.)
Hoffman explained that Cloquet has had an informal senior pickleball group for about four years now - the 35-plus members communicate mostly through email - which previously used portable nets available through Community Ed to play on local tennis courts and at the Cloquet Armory over the winter season and during bad weather.
Most people have their own paddles, but Community Ed also has eight paddles that can be checked out for a day, in return for a $10 deposit and a copy of a photo ID. The deposit is returned when the equipment is returned. Hoffman said he thinks the new Cloquet courts are the only permanent courts in the area.
The former Esko principal said he likes that the sport - touted as the fastest-growing sport in the nation - keeps people active both physically and emotionally.
"Just look at the people here: They're not sitting drinking coffee at home," he said. "A lot of these people have gotten pretty good too. It's so gratifying to see everyone playing and doing this."
Hoffman and other pickleball athletes first went to the city council to request the city create permanent pickleball courts somewhere roughly three years ago, and thoughts on where and how to create a place changed over that time.
"Thanks to the Cloquet park board and city council for this undertaking," Hoffman said.
Hoffman encouraged anyone interested in learning more to contact Community Ed - to borrow equipment to play or take a pickleball basic class in May and June - or just show up on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday morning at the new courts by Churchill school in warm weather or at the armory in colder months. Start times are flexible, but some members of the pickleball group are usually there between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
