Not too long after the pickleball courts at the Morris Bank Recreation Complex opened in 2022, a problem, albeit one that is good to have, presented itself.
Last Friday, just down the hill from those six courts, the solution to that was celebrated.
Amid a gathering of community pickleball enthusiasts, Jones County Commissioners and other supporters from Gray and beyond, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the addition of eight new courts.
The need for the new courts was hammered home over the weekend. As the Jones County Pickleball Club hosted its Pickling With My Peeps tournament, the upper courts were available for open play, something that Jones County Parks & Recreation Director Bert Rosenberger said had not been previously possible, as the number of pickleball players seeking court time outweighed the available places to play at the recreation complex.
“Once we got our six courts built in 2022, pickleball started blowing up, and it took less than a year to realize that we needed more courts,” Rosenberger said.
Now? There is the capability to host events such as leagues and tournaments and open play at the same time.
The timing of Friday’s ribbon-cutting was not lost on one of the county officials present, District 3 Commissioner Wendy Vaughn, who recalled seeing a Facebook memory from earlier in the that week that it was four years since Jones County Pickleball Club President Michelle Craddock had been connected with former Jones County Commissioner Jonathan Pitts about putting up temporary nets for pickleball at the Highway 18 Complex.
Since then, the sport has grown in Jones County. Spring leagues are currently in full swing with players from ages 13-75 playing as additional tournaments and instruction clinics are also planned.
“It was the old peoples’ sport a few years ago. Now, it’s everybody’s sport,” Vaughn said.
As part of National Pickleball Month, the Jones County Pickleball Club will host free pickleball basics classes on April 12 and 26 from 10-11:30 a.m. at the recreation complex pickleball courts. Loaner equipment will be available if needed.
