Pickleball becoming more and more of a smash hit in Virginia

by Kaitlyn McMahon – 

Terms like volley llamas, flabjacks and dillballs sound like a bad joke, but are actually terms used in pickleball, a sport that’s a smash hit in Virginia.

In fact, there were three upcoming pickleball tournaments in October alone and new facilities opening.

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport across the nation as of 2022, according to the national governing authority, USA Pickleball. The sport has taken hold in the South Atlantic region, which includes Virginia.

Virginia ranks No. 10 in the nation for pickleball courts, as determined by the Pickleheads website. The site reports 428 pickleball courts in Virginia. The website is a 101-level sport resource and a hub for finding players, courts and groups.

The sport is a hybrid of badminton, tennis and Ping-Pong that can be played on an indoor or outdoor court.

The number of pickleball players increased 159% in the last three years, according to USA Pickleball. There are approximately 70,000 official members and an estimated 4.8 million players in the U.S. The largest total demographic for pickleball players is ages 18-34.

There are more than 44,000 courts. The governing association estimated that 130 new locations open per month.

Upcoming pickleball tournaments in Virginia include Pickleboo in Henrico County on Oct. 27.

(Kaitlyn McMahon is a reporter for the Capital News Service.)