WOODBURY, Minn. (KMSP) -
Pickleball is part tennis, a little racquetball and a dash of badminton -- and the sport is skyrocketing in popularity in Woodbury, but some residents say it's causing too much racket.
"It is in Apple Valley, Bloomington, Eagan, Rosemount, St. Cloud -- you name it," said Pam Cecchini, pickleball player.
The sport is played on what is essentially half of a tennis court, and players use a paddle and a wiffle-like ball. While all ages are welcome, it's been a smash hit with the older set.
"It's a very active sport for us seniors," Jim Propes, of the Woodbury Pickleball Club, told FOX 9 News. "A lot of us used to play tennis, but the ankles and knees are now hurting."
Propes says his club is comprised of nearly 150 players, but while that's great news for competition in the metro, it's also causing headaches for neighbors.
"I never heard of the thing until this summer," said Woodbury resident Jerry Meihofer.
Meihofer lives in the neighborhood where Pickleball is king. At Shawnee Park, the city opted against tennis courts in favor of adding six, full-time courts for pickleball -- and t hat has left Meihofer and his neighbors with a never-ending din to deal with.
"It's the noise," he admitted. "It's constant."
While the residents say they are glad so many people are being active, they have taken their concerns to Woodbury City Hall, where the Parks and Recreation folk are planning to add more courts to other city parks in the hopes of spreading out the matches to divert some of the noise.
