The Universal Picklers of Ellis Park, Chicago { Left to right } Cherise Vassar( Community Outreach, Instructor) Janelle Mason( Sports Director, Salvation Army / Ray & Joan Kroc Center, Communications Director, Universal Picklers, Instructor)
Gaynell Peete( Accounting, Instructor) Cozzetta Uwejeyan( Community Outreach, Instructor) Sue Weaver( Community Outreach, Seniors Instructor)
Abel Maldonaldo( Floor Manager, Trouble Shooter) { Center } Ric Prewitt( Founder, CEO, Ambassador, Instructor)
Ric Prewitt, a retired mental health counselor, discovered pickleball when a client invited him to play.“ I pride myself on knowing every sport— and I’ ve played every sport— but I’ d never heard of pickleball,” says Prewitt.“ I’ m 60 and used to play semi-pro basketball, and pickleball has restimulated energy in me I thought was long dormant.”
Unfortunately, the Chicago courts Prewitt played on early in his learning didn’ t foster the camaraderie and friendships pickleball is known for:“ Because I was new, I ended up playing with some people who weren’ t up-to-date on the‘ etiquette’ of the game. I also was the only African American. But these players would run you around the court and just beat up on you. I’ d ask questions and get no answers. Because of my experience in other sports, I knew something wasn’ t right. But I still came back day after day.”
Prewitt was determined to learn, and excel at, pickleball. He decided to venture to some suburban courts to see how others played this peculiar game.“ I was going everywhere and adapting,” he says.“ I became like the Borg from‘ Star Trek’— everywhere I went, I assimilated all kinds of styles and play. I learned that pickleball is a game where you play hard, but play nice. Part of my MO was to look, learn and bring it back to the city. There was no reason I should have to go to the suburbs to play pickleball in Chicago.”
Like a Marco Polo of the urban landscape, Prewitt brought back what he learned, an enthusiasm for the game and the gift of teaching to Chicago’ s South Side neighborhoods.“ People asked me questions and I would answer and be gracious about it. They would latch on and ask more questions,” he recalls.“ I found myself actively promoting this game and needed more ammunition.”
So Prewitt looked into how to become an ambassador.“ At that point, I was already doing the work. I visited eight or nine places to introduce the sport and planned a clinic and tournament,” he explains.“ All the while, I was the organizer, sponsor and financier. But with each thing I did, my game improved. It made me a better player, a more legitimate pickleball player.”
This summer, Prewitt will attend a Level I Camp to receive his teaching certification, furthering his credentials in the sport and deepening his pickleball network. His hope is that the momentum he’ s seen so far continues and strengthens in the Chicago Parks system.
“ There’ s been a lot of change. There was nobody in Ellis Park. The pickleball program was pretty much dead. They’ d open the doors and let people go in and bang away at each
Prewitt and his group of pickleball supporters have not only made a difference in Chicago, but in the region. They’ ve changed minds and attitudes about the sport, revitalized programs and are strengthening bonds in the community.
other,” Prewitt says.“ A lot of people were turned off. There were 2.0 players versus angry 4.0 players— 4.0 players angry to be playing a 2.0. I needed to level the playing field. I figured anything I could do, they could do, so I began training in basic ball control and how to defend their area. I showed the players how to carry their weight on the court.”
Not only did an appreciation for the game develop organically through Prewitt’ s tutelage, but a secondary phenomenon was taking place: people were getting in shape. Prewitt, who suffers from congestive heart failure, says people started attending the gym once or twice a week because they learned through pickleball that there are activities that don’ t punish the body.
And given the popularity of basketball in Chicago’ s African American community, Prewitt added that highlighting pickleball’ s similarities to the sport that grew local legends
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JULY / AUGUST 2018 | MAGAZINE 29