In this edition of The Ramspondents
Pickleball: A sport for everyone
By Maximus Vogt
The Ramspondents
When picturing a game of pickleball, whatever you’re picturing, think again. In recent years, pickleball has become an all-ages revolution, combining accessibility, competitive rigor and social atmosphere.
Since 2021, pickleball's popularity has increased 223% according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association and continues to be one of the fastest-growing sports in America. Fort Collins has succumbed to this craze as local clubs teem with members and state-of-the-art indoor courts spring up around town.
So, how has the sport been so successful in capturing the hearts of Fort Collins residents?
"We have competitive play, we have rec plays, or if you just want to be social, you don't need to always be advancing You can just play for fun, too. Today, we have a women's group that's coming in and they brought some food and we probably talked more than we were on the courts."
Scott Putnam, volunteer coordinator for the Fort Collins Pickleball Club, moved to Fort Collins after living in Littleton, Colorado, for 40 years. After moving to a new city and emerging from COVID-19 pandemic solitude, he said joining the club and playing pickleball was the perfect outlet.
"My wife and I took lessons, made friends and played inside the club and played outside the club, and here it is, five years later and we are still loving it," Putnam said.
Leslie Arnold, owner and operator of The Picklr, an indoor pickleball facility, echoed Putnam.
"My husband and I started playing during COVID and we were looking like everyone, for things to do," Arnold said. "We were a little bit older and didn't want to take up tennis again but wanted to connect with people during that time."
Arnold now owns two franchises of The Picklr. The Fort Collins branch opened earlier this November when Arnold noticed sufficient demand to open another facility. Putnam said the Fort Collins Pickleball Club has 1,600 members alone, and that just includes members looking for organized play.
Putnam said that pickleball has an inherent social aspect as the court is physically smaller and almost always played in doubles. He said that pickleballers tend to be especially welcoming to newcomers.
"If you just got out there and started playing with somebody that was a lot better than you and you played your best, they typically would relax their game a little bit because they go, 'Oh, this is a new guy,'" Putnam said.
In her facilities, Arnold said they also often function as spaces for building community.
"We have competitive play, we have rec plays, or if you just want to be social, you don't need to always be advancing," Arnold said. "You can just play for fun, too. Today, we have a women's group that's coming in and they brought some food and we probably talked more than we were on the courts."
Putnam and Arnold both said they got into pickleball as former tennis players looking for something that was easier on their bodies. Still, the sport has proven to be athletically rigorous.
"It's definitely not slow," Putnam said. "You can play slow if you want to, but it's crazy how fast the ball moves and people's reflexes, even older people, it's like, 'I can't believe the reflexes on some of these people.'"
Arnold said that a younger crowd is especially becoming interested in highly competitive and singles playing. She said that the no-volley area known to pickleballers as "the kitchen" which is seven feet on either side of the net can become especially heated.
"The ball moves so fast and you have to be in pretty good shape," Arnold said. "You have to run a lot because if one person's at the kitchen line and one's in the back, the person at the kitchen line can pretty much dominate when you're running to the sides of the court. So it's gaining more popularity, especially with our 20s and 30 year olds."
In his club, Putnam mentioned the intensity that players bring to the sport, with some fiercely watching their ratings and looking for matches every day of the week.
"They want to get better and better and they want to see that," Putnam said.
But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of pickleball's Fort Collins takeover is its ability to bring together players across generations in a way few other sports can.
"We have six-year-olds playing with their grandparents, and they can all compete just fine," Arnold said. "We have a gentleman in Loveland who's 90 years old that comes every day to play, and he's playing with 40-year-olds. Your age is not a barrier."
Maximus Vogt is an art history major and journalism minor at CSU, active in fine art happenings on campus. He is interested in the intersection of art, community and news.
City announces Thanksgiving closures
By Matthew Horn
The Ramspondents
The holiday season is here in Fort Collins, and with it comes seasonal closures for Thanksgiving.
Several facilities will close at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 26, including EPIC, Foothills Activity Center, The Farm, Mulberry Pool, Northside Aztlan Community Center and the Fort Collins Senior Center.
All city offices will be closed on both Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27-28. The Gardens on Spring Creek, all recreational facilities, all golf courses and the Museum of Discovery will also be closed on Thanksgiving, Nov. 27.
On Friday, Nov. 28, Transfort operations, the Museum of Discovery, EPIC and the Northside Aztlan Community Center will be open during regular hours. The Fort Collins Senior Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Holiday Artisan Market. All other recreational facilities and the Gardens on Spring Creek will be closed.
CSU junior Matthew Horn is working toward his major with focus on journalism, sports broadcasting and a hint of music.