The purpose of this Permanent Pickleball Courts at Memorial Park petition is to inform the City of Santa Monica about the exponential growth of pickleball players in Santa Monica & West Los Angeles and the overwhelming need for permanent pickleball courts. We respectfully request that the 4 tennis courts at Memorial Park be converted into 16 Permanent Pickleball Courts to meet the current and growing demand for pickleball.

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PICKLEBALL IS:

• The FASTEST growing sport in America! It grew 20% last year and now has over 4 million players. It continues to grow exponentially.
• Great exercise not only for the body, but also for the mind and spirit.
• Inclusive for players of all ages (from children to seniors), backgrounds, physical abilities, and athletic experiences. Many former and current tennis, paddle tennis, and ping pong players are now playing Pickleball! This is a sport that dramatically improves quality of life for many.
• Easy to learn and play. Pickleball is one of the few sports where one can quickly learn how to play with minimal athletic experience. ANYONE CAN PLAY!
• Super Fun and Social! It encourages and promotes happiness, sportsmanship, and a lot of laughs! Pickleball builds strong communities, families, and friendships, both on and off the court.
• A great sport for seniors because it is easy to learn and played on a relatively small court, making it less stressful on muscles and joints. Everyone that tries Pickleball, loves Pickleball!

MEMORIAL PARK PICKLEBALL FACTS & STATISTICS:

• Pickleball is played at Memorial Park on striped pickleball lines over the existing tennis courts, thereby creating a “mixed use” court. Both pickleball and tennis are on a first-come-first served basis during the very limited times available to the public when Santa Monica College and private tennis instructors haven't reserved the tennis courts.
• Santa Monica currently has ZERO dedicated permanent pickleball courts! Yet there are over 25 dedicated tennis courts in the city.
• Pickleball is an extremely efficient use of park space: 4 pickleball courts can be located on 1 tennis court. Therefore, 16 total pickleball players can be simultaneously playing on one tennis court. Tennis on the other hand can only accommodate a maximum of 4 players on a tennis court. PICKLEBALL IS FOUR TIMES MORE EFFICIENT THAN TENNIS!
• Pickleball play at Memorial Park is organized by Local Citizens, on a voluntary basis.
• Pickleball players purchase and set up temporary nets every day for the entire pickleball community to play. This is not ideal for seniors as nets are heavy to lug around, they do it because they love the game!
• Memorial Park is now well-known as the "GO-TO" venue for pickleball for Residents of Santa Monica and West Los Angeles players, as well as many out-of-state visitors holidaying in Santa Monica.
• Pickleball community members have donated used paddles so beginners can start playing at no cost.
• To further encourage inclusivity, an official Pickleball Association Ambassador provides free intro lessons weekly.
• EVERYDAY Pickleball courts are overcrowded with players waiting to play.
• On any given weekday there is an average of 70 pickleball players at Memorial Park, 50% of which are seniors.
• On any given Saturday or Sunday there is an average of 120 pickleball players at Memorial Park.
• Crossroads School brings an average of 30+ students daily, to play pickleball at Memorial Park. Students set up temporary nets each time they play.
• A Pickleball Center at Memorial Park would increase tennis usage in other under-utilized tennis courts.
• Memorial park courts are located in a commercial area, ensuring no noise disturbance for residents.

Please sign this petition if you support this effort. It's imperative for public officials to see how many people want Pickleball to flourish in Santa Monica.