Patterson: Pickleball mania continues to boom in Snohomish County

Swing and a miss!

I’m standing frozen on one of the four courts at VOLLI, the brand-spanking-new indoor pickleball facility/restaurant in Marysville. I’ve struck a pose, with my paddle hand suspended in the air and a sheepish grin on my face, because I just whiffed on my first attempt at a backhand.

That embarrassing moment was my introduction to VOLLI, which held a soft opening Wednesday evening. The facility holds its official grand opening Saturday, and I went to the soft opening to get a sense of what the residents of Marysville and beyond have to look forward to.

But I was also went to witness one of the examples of how pickleball has exploded in the 18 months since a Snohomish County delegation began its push to make pickleball the official sport of Washington State.

Snohomish County is one of the epicenters for pickleball’s rise in Washington State. It was in Mill Creek where Chuck Wright provided the inspiration and Kate Van Gent provided the legwork as state senator John Lovick introduced the bill to make pickleball the official state sport. Those efforts came to fruition in March of 2022 when Governor Jay Inslee signed the bill into legislation.

Let me begin by stating that pickleball was on the ascent before it became the official state sport. At the time of the bill’s submission it was already described as the fastest-growing sport in the United States.

But anecdotally, there’s no question the sport has become far more prevalent in the past 18 months. I know I’ve seen a lot more people out at the local tennis courts, setting up their pickleball nets and playing doubles, with the distinctive thwap of paddle connecting with whiffleball echoing all around.

“I knew it would be big, but I never expected this,” Lovick said.

“My wife and I go to Greenlake (in Seattle) to run, and every time we go by where thery’re playing pickleball there’s no place to park. I’m seeing people play it everywhere.”

Therefore, I decided to reach out to the local pickleball community to see what they’ve observed since pickleball became the official state sport.

Nancy Purcell, the president of the Mukilteo Everett Pickleball Club, has seen the growth up close and personal. When the club began in 2019 it had 11 members. Today it has more than 325.

“When we play on Wednesdays at Forest Park (in Everett), we have five courts and there will be 50 people either playing or waiting to play,” Purcell said. “It’s just amazing.”

Rick Bomar, known in these parts as Pickleball Rick, regularly puts on pickleball clinics and classes around the region. He estimates he’s seen and increase in attendance of between 60-80% at his events from last year to this year.

”What we’re seeing is that it’s cross-generational,” Bomar said. “I play with my grandchildren. The average age at my classes is around 55, but we’re also seeing the youth. At my monthly classes for youth we went from eight signed up last year to 16 this year with more on the waiting list.”

Pickleball clubs in the county are thriving as well, not only in Mukilteo/Everett, but also in Marysville and Camano/Stanwood.

There are new facilities for pickleball enthusiasts. Jennings Park in Marysville had eight pickleball-specific courts come online in June of 2022. There’s a push being made to get dedicated pickleball courts built at Forest Park. In addition, dozens of sports courts round the county have been lined so they can also be used for pickleball.

And then there’s VOLLI. This is more than just indoor pickleball courts, it’s a full entertainment and dining complex. The restaurant seats 150 and includes a fancy bar. There are separate rooms that contain virtual golf and electronic darts.

But the centerpiece is the group of four pristine indoor pickleball courts, which can be rented for $45-55 an hour. An attached pro shop means equipment is readily on hand for those who don’t possess their own. On Wednesday I brought my mom with me — illustrating pickleball as a cross-generational sport — to take the courts for a spin.

VOLLI set us up with Ed Sarausad, a former competitive pickleball player, to provide instruction to a pair of beginners. He gave us the rundown on the rules and scoring, then we hit the court to see how it translated — pulling photographer Ryan Berry in to round out the doubles teams. It turns out pickleball, and particularly doubles, is perfect for a guy like me who’s nursing chronic back issues, and therefore prefers not to have to cover too much ground. It was also a kick getting to team up with my mom, as we gave high-fives and fist-bumps after successful points.

In the end my mom and I lost, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell based on the smile on my mom’s face afterward. Lovick had told me, “It’s the one sport that people play where they want to win, but I don’t see anyone get upset when they lose.” That was certainly true in our case.

And based on the anecdotal evidence, it’s something a lot more people in Snohomish County are learning, too.

Follow Nick Patterson on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.