Have you caught Maine pickleball fever?

According to Mainebiz, pickleball is the fastest-growing sport, and if you think it's for old-timers only, you are wrong. Maine has definitely caught the pickleball wave and is riding it high. New indoor courts are coming to where the old Shaw's supermarket was in Westbrook. Shaw's closed in 2022. The Picklr franchise started in Utah, is coming to Maine.

The Picklr via Facebook
The Picklr via Facebook
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64,000 square feet with 19 courts coming to Westbrook, Maine

Jeff Maguire is the owner of the Picklr coming to Maine and is super excited. He told Mainebiz,

Being able to bring pickleball to the Greater Portland area is very exciting. Growing up in New England and loving the area, it is amazing to get the opportunity to bring the life changing sport of pickleball to the state of Maine. Whether you are just learning the sport, enjoy playing for the health and the social aspect, or have aspirations to pursue playing in the professional leagues, the Picklr is for you.

GoogleMaps
GoogleMaps
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Pickleball is NOT an old-person sport

I had no idea that pickleball was invented in 1965 as a kid's backyard game in Washington state. It's played with baseball-sized wiffle balls and is kind of a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. It may have started as a sport that the older generations played, but not anymore!

Getty Images
Getty Images
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The Picklr was started by Jorge Barragan who has been playing since 2016. His story on The Picklr website, says he started because he saw so many people waiting for court time...

One winter, we went to a rec center, and I saw two teenagers playing pickleball with 50 people waiting to get on the court. My first thought was, “What cult did I join?” It was a weekday, but no one was at work or school. And the two teenagers were playing at a level I hadn’t seen yet. It was fast-paced and exciting. They were putting down overhead slams and shots I couldn’t believe. I realized then that the youth would eventually take over this sport.

It's an incredible story that has stretched from Utah to Maine. Get ready pickleball enthusiasts, courts with the surface by Just Courts, the official court layer for the Professional Pickleball Association is coming to Westbrook, Maine!

 

 

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