Total pickleball takeover: How pickleball has become a staple in the lives of North Texas residents

Photo of Oasis indoor pickleball courts by Sophie Wall.

Editor’s Note: The following is a submitted article written by Frisco High School student Sophie Wall as part of an Independent Study and Mentorship program. With the guidance of mentor Erin Hunter of WFAA, Sophie interviewed Pickleball Director Gene Click with Oasis Pickleball Club located at 5757 State Highway 205 in Rockwall. 

ROCKWALL, TX (Sept. 16, 2024) Pickleball has completely conquered the media and made way for itself as a professional sport. The game, which was created almost 60 years ago, has turned from a leisurely activity into a full-blown competitive sport with competitions held all over the country.

Oasis Pickleball is the largest recreational Pickleball center in Texas and the third largest Pickleball center in the United States. Though Oasis Pickleball has become an important part of the North Texas community, Pickleball itself was not always the talk of the town.

Gene Click had no idea what this sport was until 2015, when moving to Oklahoma City with his wife in search of a community church. After going to church one day, some of the members invited Gene along to play Pickleball with them, and Gene politely declined as he believed Pickleball was just some sport for the elderly and retired; little did he know the sport would soon change the trajectory of his life once he gave it a chance.

Soon after, Click began working at Oasis, which was then just a Tennis facility, but he was able to see how Pickleball would completely take over.

“There were only four pickleball courts to start, and there would be 50 people waiting over there to play on four courts. Then you haveall these other Tennis courts and there would be eight peopleplaying,” Click added.

Since then, all the Tennis courts within the facility have been converted into Pickleball courts. Click says the game itself has such an inviting nature, and no matter age or ability, anyone can become great at Pickleball.

“I can put an eight-year-old and an 80-year-old on the same courtand tell them both to play as hard as they can; I couldn’t do that with football,” Click explained.

Pickleball is a four-player game contrary to Tennis which is driven by singles. This contributes to the social aspect of the game, especially since partners are not needed, allowing people to make new friends throughout each match. Despite being an extremely social sport, Pickleball reached an all time high in popularity during the pandemic. As a non-contact sport, it allows people to play with one another at a distance while still enjoying the competition. Oasis gained over 2,000 members during the pandemic, many of them families looking for a way tospend time together without sacrificing their health.

Oasis has its own Amature Athletic Union team with 20 kids who are playing at a professional level. However you do not need to be seasoned to get along at Oasis, as they have a class for beginners every Tuesday night. This mix of professional and amature players gives Oasis a unique flare that you would not find anywhere else.

Although it has its own competitive edge, in Pickleball good sportsmanship is key. “Pickleball is the only sport I have ever played, and I have played them all, that I have told someone “you almost had me”, or “good shot” even when they missed it,” Click informed me.

Unlike most sports, the foundation of Pickleball is kindness. “If you hit somebody with a ball…you always say you’resorry. In Football if I tackle you I don’t say sorry. In Tennis ifI ace you I don’t say sorry,” Gene says.

This is just one of the distinct features of Pickleball which separates it from its counterparts. After every match all fourplayers meet at the net and tap paddles.  This is a way of saying “good game.”

The fastest growing sport in the world is changing sports culture for the better. On May 30th, several thousand players and spectators came to Oasis for a Professional Pickleball tournament which was broadcasted on ESPN. This way, people can learn about the up and coming sport without even leaving the house. As North Texas residents flock to local Pickleball courts insearch of a new hobby they end up rekindling their competitive edge, finding lifelong friends, and becoming better people overall.

  oasis, pickleball, Rockwall, student