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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Pickleball is growing in popularity in the Wyoming Valley, so much so that the Wilkes-Barre YMCA felt it was time to stage its first-ever pickleball tournament Saturday.</p><p>Indoor pickleball coordinator Ryan Pollock worked with several frequent players to organize the event after a spike in interest. The tournament saw 28 players, and a $10 fee for members and $15 for non-members helped the program raise money for equipment upkeep. </p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s bigger in other parts of the state. It&#8217;s much bigger down South. But here in Wilkes-Barre, it&#8217;s grown significantly in the last six to nine months,&#8221; Pollock explained. &#8220;It reached the point where we thought it would be a great idea to have a tournament.&#8221;</p><p>Pollock described pickleball as a combination of tennis, badminton, ping-pong and racquetball. Players use solid, wooden rackets to hit a perforated plastic ball over a net.</p><p>The YMCA has open court and pick-up play six days a week at different times, and also has beginner lessons by appointment Saturday mornings. Players must give 24 hours notice before attending, but equipment is provided.</p><p>Pollock himself has been playing for only a short time, but it didn&#8217;t take long for him to become enthralled with it.</p><p>&#8220;I played pickleball for the first time this winter, and I was hooked immediately. It&#8217;s a lot of fun,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of strategy involved. I like to equate it to playing tennis and chess at the same time,&#8221; he added, saying the game forces players to constantly think about their next move.</p><p>Pollock added the nature of the game makes it suitable for all ages, and the YMCA program has had players from 10 to over 80.</p><p>&#8220;Because the court is &#8230; much smaller than the dimensions of a tennis court, it sort of levels the playing field &#8230; you don&#8217;t need the agility you might need with tennis,&#8221; Pollock explained.</p><p>Joe Czarnecki, one of the players and a volunteer at the tournament helping keep score, said he picked up pickleball in March 2016.</p><p>&#8220;I was a tennis player and I was a racquetball player, and now that I have two knee replacements, I can&#8217;t run the way I used to,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;But I can play pickleball &#8230; it&#8217;s the perfect sport for old tennis players.&#8221;</p><p>Czarnecki said the program at the YMCA is great for people wanting to exercise and socialize.</p><p>He also noted the spike in pickleball passion.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s probably the fastest growing sport in the nation. You go to Florida &#8230; there are lots of pickleball courts because, once again, in Florida there are a lot of retirement communities.&#8221;</p><p>Locals weren&#8217;t the only ones in on the action. The tournament also drew in pickleball enthusiasts from the Poconos, Lancaster and Bloomsburg, Pollock said.</p><p>Brenda Pitonyak traveled from the Bloomsburg area for a chance to play the sport competitively; something she wasn&#8217;t able to do where she lives.</p><p>&#8220;We have a lot of people in Bloomsburg who really like to play, so it would be nice if we could get something in our area,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Pitonyak also appreciates the versatility of the sport.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s supposed to be a senior game, but you can also be younger,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It doesn&#8217;t have to be a slow game. You can have a very competitive game, too.&#8221;</p><p>Pollock hopes to stage a tournament twice a year &#8212; once in the spring and once in the fall.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Ame Cameron, of Pompton Lakes, N.J., hits the ball to the opposing team during Saturday&#8217;s pickleball tournament at the Wilkes-Barre YMCA. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL1100517Pickleball2-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Ame Cameron, of Pompton Lakes, N.J., hits the ball to the opposing team during Saturday&#8217;s pickleball tournament at the Wilkes-Barre YMCA. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL1100517Pickleball3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dennis Shelly, of Lititz, keeps his eye on the ball during the pickleball tournament at the Wilkes-Barre YMCA. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL1100517Pickleball3-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Dennis Shelly, of Lititz, keeps his eye on the ball during the pickleball tournament at the Wilkes-Barre YMCA. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL1100517Pickleball1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Sam Barbose, of Shavertown, volleys the ball over the net during a pickleball tournament Saturday at the Wilkes-Barre YMCA. The sport is growing in popularity in the Wyoming Valley, organizers said. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL1100517Pickleball1-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Sam Barbose, of Shavertown, volleys the ball over the net during a pickleball tournament Saturday at the Wilkes-Barre YMCA. The sport is growing in popularity in the Wyoming Valley, organizers said. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Game described as playing tennis, chess at same time</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Toni Pennello</p><p>tpennello@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Surge in pickleball interest leads to first-ever tournament