Island; on a friend’ s driveway; on indoor and outdoor basketball courts; on tennis courts; and at RV parks all over.
Countless RVers have taken up the sport and are spreading the word. RV parks across the country are building courts at a breakneck pace, because visitors want to play pickleball.
Tournaments also are popping up everywhere, in almost every state. Numerous RVers travel the tournament circuit to mix competition with sightseeing. The RV lifestyle is perfect for this.
By the way, if you think you’ re too old to start playing, you are wrong. Although the sport engages all ages, the USAPA cites a study that reports 13 percent of“ casual” participants( who play one to seven times a year) and 75 percent of“ core” players( who play eight or more times a year) in the United States are 55 or older. Many of us are well into our 70s and still playing.
WHERE TO PLAY Progressive park owners are finding a way to add pickleball courts or repurpose old tennis courts into dedicated pickleball courts.
A few years ago, my wife and I, along with another couple, decided to visit an RV community in northern Idaho called StoneRidge. Wouldn’ t you know, about a year later they had six brandnew pickleball courts. We now call StoneRidge our summer home. Sure, there is an 18-hole golf course on-site, plus a pub and grill, swimming pools, and an activity center. The community has a first-class, upscale RV park surrounded on every side by pristine mountains. In addition, it sure is fun to play pickleball while bald eagles fly over the courts, and moose and elk can be seen nearby.
The accompanying sidebar lists some of our favorite RV resorts to play pickleball. In addition, check out the“ Places to Play” tab on the USAPA’ s website, www. usapa. org. You can easily search by state and city, find local courts, reference tournament schedules, and obtain contact information for area USAPA Pickleball Ambassadors. The website has thousands of listings, with a GPS location for each site.
An excellent resource that includes information about RV parks with pickleball courts across the United States and Canada is Big Rigs Best Bets, available in a hard copy and an online edition( www. big-rigs-rv. com). Coauthor Ken Hamill said,“ We liken pickleball today for RV parks the same way we did Wi-Fi a few years ago. It’ s something everybody is asking for.”
So, get out of the recliner, put on your court shoes, and find an RV park or RV resort that offers pickleball. They’ re all over the United States and Canada. Even if you don’ t love exercising, you’ ll get a great workout with this fabulous and fun sport. You’ ll be glad you did! •
Alan Neff has been a USAPA Roving Ambassador for six years. He and his wife, Diane, have been full-time RVers for more than 12 years.
FURTHER INFO USA Pickleball Association www. usapa. org
PICKLEBALL AT RV RESORTS The following are some of the author’ s favorite places to play pickleball:
Buckhorn Lake Resort Kerrville, Texas 800.568.6458 830.895.0007 www. buckhornlake. com
Lake George RV Park Lake George, New York 518.792.3775 www. lakegeorgervpark. com
Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort Las Vegas, Nevada 866.897.9300 702.897.9300 www. lvmresort. com
Mountain Falls Luxury Motorcoach Resort Lake Toxaway, North Carolina 828.966.9350 www. mountain-falls. com
Outdoor Resort Indio Indio, California 800.892.2992 760.775.7255 www. orindio. com
RiverBend Motorcoach Resort LaBelle, Florida 866.787.4837 www. riverbendflorida. com
South Haven Sunny Brook RV Resort South Haven, Michigan 888.499.5253 www. sunnybrookrvresort. com
StoneRidge Golf and Recreational Community Blanchard, Idaho 800.952.2948 208.437.3148 www. stoneridgeidaho. com
Reprinted From Family Motor Coaching ©, July 2017 • 800.543.3622 • www. fmca. com
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