Easy to pick up and even easier to get hooked on, pickleball is growing in Alaska

It didn’t take Marty Freeman very long to get hooked.

Freeman, who competed at last weekend’s Midnight Sun Pickleball Spring Thaw Tournament in Eagle River, is one of Alaska’s newest participants in pickleball, a sport that has enjoyed substantial growth in recent years.

“Everyone starts off as an instant addict,” said Freeman, who has been playing the last two years. “It’s not incremental.”

Pickleball is a hybrid racket sport that is a cross between badminton, tennis and table tennis, or pingpong. The sport has taken off in part because of its approachability.

“It’s good for all skill levels so anyone at any level, any age, any ability can play pickleball and get enjoyment from it,” Jill Lutz said. “That is the beauty of the sport and why it is so popular.”

Lutz and her husband, Rob, who are the founders and lead instructors for Midnight Sun Pickleball, have been driving forces in growing the sport in Alaska.

“People helped us along, so now it is our turn to help others along and expose them to the sport,” Rob Lutz said.

Serves in pickleball are underhanded. Freeman said that keeps the ball in play, and the likelihood of winning points off a serve are very low, allowing newer players to pick up the game easily.

“The difference from tennis is a lot of time, the limiting factor in tennis is someone’s ability to get a good serve in,” Freeman said. “If you play against a good tennis server, you’re really at a disadvantage. Whereas in pickleball, the serve doesn’t really even factor into the game at all.”

The court is also much smaller, so there isn’t nearly as much ground to cover. That makes the sport easier and more appealing to people who aren’t quite as mobile or nimble. The court size is identical to a badminton court, 20 feet wide by 44 feet.

“In tennis, they’re running a lot, and people my age just can’t do that. So this is a great sport for us baby boomers,” said Marylee Stiehr, who was competing in the tournament.

Jill and Rob Lutz brought their interest in the game with them from their native Canada. They came to Alaska two years ago and have been dedicated to growing the sport since arriving.

“When we first started playing in Ottawa there were about a hundred people and when we left, there were about a thousand in three years,” Rob Lutz said.

They have been doing their best to establish a community that rivals the one they came from in Canada, and if turnout for the most recent tournament is any indication, they are well on their way.

“Back in Ottawa, we had a huge community of people that were working together to help each other improve, and when we got here we wanted to create something like that too,” Jill Lutz said.

The couple wanted to use lessons and tournaments dedicated to improvement of skills to build up an interest and community for the sport.

Their first tournament had a turnout of about 60 people, and around 80 attended the second. Last weekend’s tournament hosted 138 players. The youngest participant in that most recent tournament was 17, and the oldest was 80.

“We’re excited because it is our biggest tournament and is the biggest tournament that has ever been held in Alaska to date,” Jill Lutz said.

They hold tournaments a couple times a year and would put them on more often, but finding venues to accommodate their growing need is a challenge.

The group said there will be an opportunity for people to learn and participate in the sport this summer in the outdoor hockey rinks near Ben Boeke Ice Arena.

They have been working with the Municipality of Anchorage to convert some sparingly used tennis courts into 12 pickleball courts, and the Anchorage Pickleball Club has schedules for availability on its website and Facebook page.

“If you want to play competitively, you can,” Rob Lutz said. “If you want to play just recreationally and have fun, you can. If you want to mix the two, you can.”

Many club members found the sport through different avenues, but they all shared a universal message about how addicting it is once they started.

“You have to tell people beware, you’re going to be addicted because it is so much fun,” Stiehr said.