How Pickleball Took Over Springfield, Missouri

Plop! Whack! Thwack! In a pickleball game, the sound of ball-to-paddle-to-pavement is a bit like a metronome that progressively speeds up as the play intensifies. To a pickleball player, it’s a meditative song that helps them descend into a state of flow. In those few moments on the court, their attention is fully focused on the ball, and nothing else matters.

These are just a few observations gleaned from a morning spent watching Debbie Grega and her friends play one of their routine games on her very own backyard court surfaced by Gerald Perry Tennis Company (417-894-9024). Before picking up pickleball, all five of these women were strangers. “It just sort of happened organically over time,” Grega says. “We all met in open play or at tournaments and found that we were of similar playing levels. Now, we try to get together weekly to play. Our games are always very competitive.”

Pickleball is an indoor and outdoor sport that combines elements of several other racquet and paddle sports, including tennis, badminton and ping pong. All you need to play is a court, a partner, a paddle and a pickleball, which is a plastic ball that resembles a wiffle ball but is slightly heavier.

According to a 2023 report by The Association of Pickleball Professionals, at least 48.3 million American adults have played pickleball at least once in the past year. That accounts for close to 19% of the total adult population. The rapid increase brings a few growing pains, and any local pickleball player knows the sport is also a practice in patience. On extra busy days at a court, players reserve their turn by lining up their paddles. It's not uncommon for there to be just as many people waiting to play as there are on the courts during peak times.

“Pickleball is growing so quickly it has become hard to find a spot to have your own group of 4 or 5 play without interruption,” Grega says. “Meador Park is great for open play and meeting new people, but since so many people want to play, you often have to play one game and then rotate off the court so others have a turn. Having my own court has allowed us to play for hours at a time.”

But unless you’ve invested in your own court like Grega, pickleball really isn’t a casual backyard sport like badminton. In fact, that’s a misconception that Matt Battaglia, current president of the Ozarks Pickleball Club, previously had when his neighbor introduced him to the sport a little more than five years ago. “When I first started out, I thought it merely was a backyard-type game played recreationally,” he says. “I didn’t even realize it was a popular sport that people played until I plugged into the community. It’s not uncommon for people to play two to five times per week.”

Cary Prater first picked up a pickleball paddle about two years ago and now plays around five times a week. He’s seen firsthand how the sport has positively changed lives. “Pickleball is giving people a sense of community again,” he says. “I have introduced people to play, and it has completely changed their social life in more ways than one. Some of them were depressed and felt isolated, and now they’re finding fulfillment in a community of people who enjoy doing the same thing…It really helped me through a troubling time when I was going through personal issues. It helped me get out and make great friends that I can call to go play pickleball at any time. It’s just been a really good feeling to have friends again and not be so isolated sitting at home on social media.”

The social aspect of pickleball has also proven itself useful in the local business scene in a way similar to golf. Sophie Pierpoint, vice president and business development officer at OMB Bank, routinely takes clients to play pickleball. Furthermore, the bank even sponsors pickleball tournaments throughout the Springfield area.

Pierpoint has been a longtime friend of Jackie Stiles, former WNBA player and current owner of NexGen Fitness, and Stiles introduced her to the sport in 2020. When Pierpoint started at OMB, pickleball was starting to take off locally. She noticed that multi-generations of people play pickleball together and realized that it could be useful in connecting with potential bank customers of all ages and walks of life.

“I often play with customers at different places in and around Springfield to keep building good relationships with them,” Pierpoint says. “I love how playing pickleball recreationally allows a way to naturally meet new people and how it's centered around exercise and social engagement. The time between games is great for socializing and networking. I’ve found the pickleball community to be very kind, caring and committed. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people over the last 1.5 years who have become customers and friends… I feel like through sports, you gain another level of trust with people.”

Casual Play

If you’re in it for more of the social aspect, here’s where you can bring a group of friends for a laid-back game on a whim.

Structured Play

These local pickleball haunts are where you'll find open play, lessons and leagues that range from beginner to competitive.

Why Pickleball is the New “It” Sport

Written by Dayle Duggins
Originally published November 2017

Pickleball is poppin’. I open Snapchat and see friends playing—beer in hand—at bars that are built entirely around the sport. Others are playing with their grandparents while on vacation. Local country clubs are hopping aboard, too. When I realized that it was trending, I knew I had to try the sport. I had high hopes: pickles are pretty much my favorite food, grandmas can play the sport and, if I found the right venue, I could even get a little tipsy while exercising.

I called up my pal and former co-worker Dylan Whitaker, who had very aggressively picked up the sport as a hobby. I needed the scoop. Who plays pickleball? Where do people play? Who’s the best? I needed him to tell me everything, and he delivered. Dylan told me that RaNay Riffe was a pickleball star who would probably be tickled to show me the ropes. Quickly, I got in touch with her, and next thing I knew, I was scheduled to play pickleball with her for a few hours on a Friday morning. 

PICKLEBALL 101

Upon researching the sport, I was saddened to learn that pickleball incorporates zero pickles. But relief swept over me when I found that the oddly named sport might have been inspired by a cocker spaniel named Pickles. What a great name. I already loved the game.

According to the United States of America Pickleball Association (USAPA), the paddle sport combines elements of tennis, badminton and pingpong and can be played indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court with a slightly modified tennis net. In the game, which is suitable for all ages and skill levels, a plastic ball with holes is volleyed back and forth between players.

Impressively, the number of places to play pickleball has doubled since 2010, according to USAPA. To find a spot near you, visit usapa.org. “You’re seeing cities that are converting tennis courts to pickleball courts or building their own pickleball courts,” says Mike Porter, Springfield’s USAPA ambassador. Most recently, Meador Park in Springfield converted six tennis courts into pickleball courts.

Riffe primarily plays in Republic. When she isn’t on the court, she’s a hairstylist in Springfield. “It’s horribly addicting,” Riffe says. “If you want to, there are places to play every day of the week.” She started out playing singles in 2015, got addicted, played a tournament in Branson and won. After trying out men’s and women’s doubles, she took up mixed doubles at the beginning of 2017. To develop her skills, she watched endless matches on YouTube, sat in the stands during high-level tournament matches and now plays about nine hours a week. After only two-and-a-half years of playing, she’s now a 5.0 according to USAPA—the highest ranking a player can get. According to Porter, there are only two five-star paddlers in southwest Missouri besides Riffe.

PLAY (PICKLE)BALL

When I got to the Republic Community Center, it was easy to spot Riffe. She was adorably dressed and bounced right over to greet me. We introduced ourselves, she handed me a paddle and we hit the court. Our first opponents were two gentlemen who gave us a run for our money.

As we hit the ball, Riffe explained the game. During live play, I learned all about the kitchen, dinking, how to give a pickleball high-five and how serving works, which I really struggled to understand at first. Play was much faster and less leisurely than I expected because we played close to the net. We lost our first game, but I was pretty impressed with myself. I was smashing the ball over the net, diving to make returns and making pretty good serves. Riffe threw me in with the sharks. Her style of play is very aggressive and fast-paced, and I was loving every minute of it.

As we continued to play match after match, we won the majority of the games, and I was surprisingly breaking a sweat. Most of the people we played were older than us, but their skill level always surprised me. “It’s a fun sport because you can’t judge anybody by what they look like,” Riffe says. It’s true, but Riffe is an exception. If you look at her, you can tell she’s in shape. “It gives me the same cardio burn without running, which is huge.” Because Riffe plays two to three times a week for two to four hours, it’s her primary workout.

THE EFFECTS

Three hours on the pickleball court flew by. I was sweaty and had finally figured out the serving rules, so I didn’t want to leave. The volleys were intense and required quick reflexes, but I got the hang of it quickly.

All of the pickleball players were very welcoming. They knew I was a newbie, so they went out of their way to make me feel welcome, give me a hard time every once in a while and compliment me on successful serves, dinks and smashes.

I’m looking forward to picking up the paddle again during the colder months. I think I might just bring along my own pickles.