Dedicated Pickleball Courts in Pacific Palisades
Dedicated Pickleball Courts in Pacific Palisades
Petition to the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation & Parks
Attn: Palisades Recreation Center (PRC)
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We represent local Pickleball players who reside in or near the city of Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. We have been playing Pickleball at the Palisades Recreation Center (PRC) since our USAPA Ambassador, Vora “Pong” Nimnual, started the venue in November 2020, and now with the help of Lisette Kremer. We have been using one of the two existing outdoor basketball courts with the help of sidewalk chalk and tape to temporarily line the courts. Over time and by word of mouth, more and more players started to show up to play Pickleball here at PRC and we are now in need of a dedicated Pickleball venue.
The reason for this petition is for the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation & Parks to consider the following requests to PRC, listed in order of preference:
1. Convert 1 of the 8 tennis courts into 4 permanent Pickleball courts with nets & lines or make it a hybrid tennis/pickleball court with permanent lines of different colors, for both venues.
2. Convert one of the 2 outdoor basketball courts, the larger one next to the sandy play area into 3 permanent Pickleball courts or make it a hybrid basketball/pickleball court with permanent lines of different colors, for both venues.
3. Paint permanent lines to make 3 Pickleball courts in the open area between the old gym and the new gym.
The detail of the tennis and basketball court conversions can be found here:
https://pickleballfix.com/pickleball-court-dimensions/
Over the last few years, pickleball has been rising in popularity. In fact, pickleball is considered one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. According to the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA), there are over eight MILLION players, and that number is quickly growing. Due to the soaring popularity of this decades-old game, many parks and recreation departments are now adding pickleball to their sports programming.
Click on the following links to see more of why Pickleball is so popular:
https://www.pickleballportal.com/blog/pickleball-what-is-why-popular/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56324048
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/30/style/pickleball.html
https://www.sportsver.com/20-plus-reasons-why-pickleball-is-so-popular/
And, lastly, below are some of the comments from our players:
“My name is Lisette Kremer and I have been playing pickleball for 8 months now. I see that we have 8 tennis courts in the Pacific Palisades Rec center and 6 courts at Rustic Canyon Rec Center. And not even one Pickleball court. I have lived in the Palisades for 28 years now and this is the first time that I have gotten to know some of my neighbors. It is such a great sport, as it brings together young and old, with no age discrimination. It is easier for the older crowd and exciting enough for the young adults. Allowing lots of fun exercise for both. We can fit 4 courts on one Tennis court. It is not right that we do not have the right or opportunity to bring the community together in this fun way. After all, Pickleball is the fastest growing sport and there should be no reason why there are no dedicated courts. I have been bringing nets and paddles and balls every week so that we can play as the demand is very great. I have 59 people that are in our group and want to continue playing. We draw chalk lines and carry equipment each week, which is a lot of work, especially for me being 66, and is not easy. We also have to make sure we work around everyone else who tells us they have the right and we do not, it does not seem fair. I think the community needs to have a fair share as the demand is there. Thank you so much.”
“My story is as a 67 year-old woman, finally vaccinated and looking for social encounters, healthy outdoor activities, found a group of people who set up temporary nets at my local park in Pacific Palisades Rec Center and sometimes in Rustic Canyon. It was liberating after over a year of hibernation to be able to pursue an activity that increased my health and led to weight loss and gave me opportunities to socialize with mostly people my age and older. However, our group is having a hard time finding court space and at one point we applied for a permit and were hit with a whopping almost $800 every two months to use the tennis courts at Rustic Canyon. At Palisades Rec Center we chalk our lines, bring our own nets and play on the basketball courts which are asphalt. When basketball players show up, we get kicked off. Our members range in age from 20’s to our oldest who is 83. Ideally, in a perfect world for my neighborhood, we would like to have at least one or two of the tennis courts at both Rustic Canyon and Palisades Park lined for Pickleball open play-meaning no reservations and any and all can play just by coming by. (We currently don’t have one designated Pickle Ball court in my city.) By doing so, you as our leaders in recreation, will allow 16 players the opportunity to play in the space of ONE tennis court vs a maximum of 4 players on the same space. If you’d like to see a system that works, check out Memorial Park in Santa Monica any morning. 100’s of people drop in any given day for a game or 10! It’s quite fun, and if you have never played, I can arrange a lesson for you.”
“I fervently hope you and the other recreational staff members can find a way to offer us a regular court on which to play this wonderful game. As you are probably aware, many of us are seniors for whom this sport has been a lifesaver during this trying period of coping with the pandemic. It's an activity that lures us outside and gives an enjoyable way to get our bodies moving. And, after all, isn't that the goal of public recreational departments--to offer residents of all ages various means of maintaining physical fitness? Thank you in advance for your efforts.”
Thank you very much for your consideration.
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