IN THE
LevelUp Pickleball Club Opens in Pittsburgh
by DREW WATHEY
CLUB
LevelUp
Pickleball Club
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
In the south suburbs of Pittsburgh, where football has normally dominated the sports landscape, pickleball has surged in popularity. Where there were once just about 200 avid pickleballers( eight years ago), that number is now closer to 10,000— and even higher if you add casual players.
For Wayne and Lisa Dollard, husband and wife and former collegiate tennis players, their interest in pickleball grew steadily and eventually led them to a life within the sport.“ We got into pickleball back in 2015 before it was really a‘ thing,’ and started Pickleball Magazine, which is now in its 10th year,” says Wayne.
Their newest foray into the game, which continues to grow at an unparalleled rate, is the LevelUp Pickleball Club in the Cecil / Canonsburg area, southwest of
Pittsburgh.“ We chose Cecil because of its ideal location, supportive local government, and proximity to our home. We live just six minutes away, and Cecil showed strong interest in our project from day one.”
LevelUp Pickleball Club features 16 indoor courts along with Category 1 lighting( 1,100 lumens / broadcast quality) and features a seven-layer US Open cushioned surface.“ Pickleball puts a lot of strain on knees, ankles and feet. Many clubs choose asphalt over concrete because it’ s easier on the joints,” Dollard explains.“ At LevelUp, we went a step further by installing a seven-layer rubber cushion over the asphalt to significantly reduce fatigue. Because the system is so expensive, fewer than 1 percent of courts nationwide offer this level of cushioning.
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