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The game of pickleball has continued to grow in the United States in recent years.
Later this month, that growth will take physical manifestation at the Streator Family YMCA.
After raising $50,000, the Streator Family YMCA announced that it will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for an outdoor pickleball facility west of its main parking lot. The grand opening will coincide with the start of a previously scheduled pickleball tournament – which will serve as a fundraiser for the completion of the outdoor courts – on Saturday June 25 and Sunday June 26.
“We plan to build two outdoor courts at this time, with the possibility of doing something more in the future if we can,” said Jill Seaton, CEO of Streator Family YMCA.
If you are unfamiliar with the game of pickleball, consider less physically demanding tennis played on a smaller 44ft by 20ft court with a modified wiffle ball and some badminton and ping pong rules added.
The sport has grown in recent years across the United States, including the recent emergence of professional leagues. Locally, Ottawa expanded the game outdoors with pickleball courts on Route 6 a few years ago, and Peru completed new construction courts at Washington Park this spring.
In Streator, play exploded at the local YMCA, albeit limited to indoor play. Former Streator Family YMCA CEO Ralph Sterrett – an avid pickleball player himself – and his children Jeff Sterrett and Shelly Olson were instrumental in developing and implementing the fundraising plan with Seaton and YMCA Program Director Shannon Harback to expand the game to an outdoor facility.
The facility is built in honor of Ralph Sterrett.
“It’s the fastest growing sport in the world,” said Ralph Sterrett. “It’s getting very, very popular. I started playing it years ago in the 1980s in high school.
“Pickleball, tennis, and golf are probably the top three sports you can play most of your life, and pickleball is easy to learn. Pretty much anyone can play it. …
“It’s just a very enjoyable game, and it’s amazing how people get hooked.”
“When I first took over as CEO,” Seaton said, “Ralph and I were talking, and he was sharing some of his days as CEO of the Y. We both had a vision for the grounds of outdoor pickleball. It was something I envisioned for the YMCA much later, maybe in a five-year plan, but Ralph had a vision for them much earlier. … He had said something about his children wanting to do something [in honor of] him…and he thought maybe it was time to turn it on again.
The pickleball tournament – marked as an inaugural event – will be a round-robin tournament beginning at 10 a.m. on June 25 and continuing at 10 a.m. on June 26. There is a $20 entry fee with an additional $5 fee for each division (singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles) entered. Doubles partners will be changed during play.
If there are enough, there could be separate recreational and competitive levels as well as a youth clinic.
Players can register for the tournament and those interested can donate to help build the outdoor pickleball facility through the Streator Family YMCA website or by calling the front desk at 815-672-2148.
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