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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