Collaboration helped make pickleball courts reality

MT. PLEASANT - When a community works together, anything is possible.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Mt. Pleasant Pickleball Courts on Wednesday evening, both Mt. Pleasant Community School District Superintendent John Henriksen and Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance Executive Director Kristi Perry, said the project is a prime example of 'the importance of community [collaboration].”

'This is what happens when a community comes together - from businesses and organizations and individuals and the city - we can do a lot of amazing things. This is just the latest example of that,” Henriksen said.

The courts, located next to the Mt. Pleasant Middle School, will be open to the public and will be incorporated into the district's physical education curriculum.

'They say good things come to those that wait. We had to wait a little bit and go over some hurdles, but if you've been inside and looked at this place, it has been well worth the wait,” Henriksen added.

The project to build the courts began in the summer of 2018 when the paddleball sport, which includes elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, began when local pickleball players noticed increased interest from students.

The project hit a couple of snags when bids for construction came back higher than expected. The Pickleball Committee had originally raised $155,000 but received $200,000 bids, which stalled progress.

The committee continued to raise funds and found ways to make up the difference.

'I want to thank the Pickleball Committee for having this vision and stick-to-itiveness to see this thing through … thank you for sticking with it,” Henriksen said.

The superintendent noted the contribution of various businesses, the city and individuals of Mt. Pleasant made the courts a possibility.

Adam Smith, the middle school physical education teacher, said the courts are 'a shiny new toy that is exciting to show off,” to students and the community.

Smith said students are scheduled to begin using the courts later this week and many were excited to use the new facility after taking a tour of the courts.

'They're asking me everyday when we can use them,” Smith said.

The teacher added the way the pickleball unit is currently taught is inside the school gym, which only has four courts and shared sidelines. With the new facility, students will be able to play on 10 courts, which means fewer students will have to wait their turn to play. Each court is also separated by a fence.

'Having not only 12 feet but also a fence, it is a welcome addition that will really allow students to spread out and change the way we teach pickleball,” Smith said.

Kent White, a city council member who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, said he's looking forward to see residents use the courts.

'We have winter coming up, but I think people will use it a lot in the time before then. It's just really great, everyone coming together to get this accomplished,” White said.