I totally appreciate that there are more important things to talk about than pickleball. But for the growing number of players of all ages, it has become a meaningful source of exercise and movement.
So many of the towns around Amherst have figured out how to provide public courts and they are extensively used. Some five years ago, Amherst approved the money needed to build new public courts. However, the town leaders were unsuccessful in finding a location for these new courts. That has left us with one of the two Mill River Park tennis courts with pickleball lines painted for pickleball enthusiasts to use. With Hampshire College closure and the loss of Amherst area courts to use, this has funneled a large number of players to Mill River.
One day this week we had 20 players, ages 8-75, trying to use the one available court with lines painted on them. Eight players were on the court while 12 players waited their turn to play. The second tennis court with no lines painted for pickleball sat empty. We have repeatedly asked the Town Recreation Department to at least paint the lines for pickleball to create maximum flexibility of use. It just seems like the right thing to do but we are told it needs to be saved just for tennis. Tennis is great but why not allow for greater use of this seriously limited resource.
Yes, I am advocating for a growing number of pickleball players who love this form of exercise, see the value of improved reaction time and hand-eye coordination as well as increased socialization and laughter. I love my Amherst community and am pleading with town and rec department leaders to move the needle forward on this issue. At least paint some lines on the second tennis court at Mill River Park so we go from two to four courts of possible play. In my dreams our town will figure out where to build those new courts!
Larry Steinhauser
Amherst