Beachside pickleball courts now open to the public in Charlotte area of Rochester
Jul 03, 2012 @ 01:25 PM
Former longtime Irondequoit resident Nancy Lindquist calls pickleball "a dumb name for a fun game."
"I call it table tennis on steroids," Lindquist said this morning, Tuesday, July 7, as she joined dozens of other pickleball enthusiasts at the new pickleball courts at Ontario Beach Park, in the Charlotte neighborhood of Rochester.
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks joined the players and other area officials, including State Senator Joe Robach, today to officially open the highly-anticipated six new pickleball courts. They are located in the west courtyard of the Roger Robach Community Center, and will be open, free, to the public daily from 8 a.m. to dusk through mid-October.
Pickleball is a game played on a 20-foot by 44-foot court, with a 34-inch-high net placed across the center. It is played with a perforated plastic ball, similar to a wiffle ball, and wood or composite paddles.
Tony Cinquino, 61, of Brighton, has been playing for about a year. "It's like a good combination of both ping pong and tennis, and you can play at any age," he said.
Pickleball paddles and balls will be available, free, for public use on a sign-out basis at the County Lifeguard Station in the Robach Center. Additionally, free, basic instructional lessons will be offered from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursdays through August.
