SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — For the third year in a row, pickle ball has been named the fastest growing sport in America, according to the Association of Pickle Ball Professionals.
“I first started playing five years ago and I have played almost every day since,” said Sharron Porter.
People such as Porter and others credit pickle ball with not only keeping them in physical shape but introducing them to a whole new social life.
At Skyway Park in Syracuse a group of 12 women ranging from 38 to 88 get together every other day to play, all year round. In the winter they play indoors and then the second the sun comes out they are back outdoors for hours a day.
“None of us knew each other before meeting in an indoor pickle ball league, but now I consider them some of my closest friends on and off the court,” said Carrie Spencer.
Pickle ball continues to reach new heights as last year it hit a record high with 48.3 million pickle ball players in the United States and it is showing no signs of slowing down.
As the interest for the sport grows throughout the country and in Central New York, the city of Syracuse has announced it has plans to add new courts. This past August, a 12-court complex was put into Onondaga Lake Park. Following in similar footsteps, Skyway Park has announced plans to implement permanent pickle ball courts.
