It appears pickleball paddles and tennis rackets can coexist without sparking a turf war.
At a recent Richmond Recreation and Park Commission meeting, Garry Hurlbut, president and co-founder of the Richmond Tennis Association (RTA), cleared the air regarding the rumored rivalry between traditional tennis and the fast-growing phenomenon of pickleball, declaring his own support for the plastic-ball sport.
“I just want to be very clear. I really am very enthusiastic about pickleball coming into Richmond because it just gives us another venue for people to pursue active and healthy lifestyles,” Hurlbut said.
The statement followed an update at the same meeting from Darlene Drapkin, founder of the East Bay Pickleball Association (EBPA), who highlighted the sport’s rapid grassroots expansion. Drapkin shared that she had just come from a session at Lucas Park where volunteers gathered on an unused tennis court. She noted the Iron Triangle Neighborhood Council now wants to investigate adding pickleball to that park.
Drapkin detailed multiple community partnerships, highlighting a collaboration with the Latina Center to bring pickleball to underutilized tennis courts at Burg Park, pickleball-playing at Nicholl Park during Thrive Thursdays, and partnerships with local schools. Drapkin also highlighted efforts to sustain local infrastructure, saying her group wants to donate to resurfacing of the worn Booker T. Anderson courts.
For pickleball fans, the local momentum is likely a welcome shift after a major setback last year, when public land-use restrictions abruptly closed the popular indoor pickleball venue at the Craneway Pavilion. The loss of the waterfront site left the city’s rapidly growing player base searching for new court space.
To the local RTA president, the rise of pickleball doesn’t mean the death of tennis. Actually, tennis is currently thriving in Richmond.
Hurlbut and his wife Maryn are retirees who have devoted years to Richmond community sports, notably founding the RTA to boost local tennis participation and improve city courts. Since the launch of an adult program 15 years ago, the RTA now boasts roughly 150 players and 11 weekend teams who play at Nicholl Park. He also praised the Youth Tennis Advantage program for providing after-school homework mentoring followed by daily tennis instruction.
In terms of coexisting with pickleball, the primary challenge moving forward is logistical rather than ideological, said Hurlbut.
“The one concern is just making sure that we actually can figure out how to manage our facilities because the pickleball courts are different than the tennis courts,” he said.
He noted that the Booker T. Anderson facilities currently host one tennis court alongside dedicated pickleball courts, and referenced ongoing discussions regarding how to potentially integrate pickleball into the six-court layout at Nicholl Park.
