What started as a weekly pickleball game between a couple of friends has become a Sunday morning community tradition. It’s now a 90-member game. With music, baked goods, and paddles, each Sunday an outdoor court in Brookline is full of players of all levels. The next step: taking this game indoors to the Acton Racquet Club at 10 Granite Rd.
They call themselves the No Go Zone-rs, a riff off the “kitchen” in pickleball, a seven-foot area on each side of the net where players cannot hit the ball out of the air. But with winter ending the season outdoors, they are moving indoors to the Acton Racquet Club and starting a new group – open to everyone with a paddle.
Whether someone is picking up a paddle for the first time or perfecting their serve, they can play pickleball and get a mix of exercise, competition, and community. The weekly social events include one hour of coaching and one hour of open play. The first event is Saturday, December 13, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. for beginners and intermediate players, at the Acton Racquet Club. The players split the cost of the court, paying approximately $25 per person.
The player lineup
Who shows up to these games? Everyone from 70-plus retirees to four-year-olds with a mermaid paddle.
“All of them come from the Greater Boston Area, with some traveling 40 miles to meet up and play with this group,” said Grant Jew, leader of the group. “There are 70-year-old-plus players who won’t take two steps for the ball, to a commercial airline pilot who hits pickleballs with her 4-year-old and pushes her one-year-old in a stroller between games.”
It’s not just pickleball that players come for; it’s the community.
“We have a few players who bring their hobbies and interests to share at the pickleball courts. Baked goods are a consistent treat from a few of the members,” said Jew. “Leaf blowers, brooms, and music are a weekly constant. Sharing of clothes, ideas, conversation, and paddles. Some members will go out to lunch afterwards.”
It was at one of these sessions that player Nelson Moy first held a paddle.
“I had heard a lot about the game and its growing popularity. Had never played before and wanted to give it a try to see what rage was all about,” Moy said. After that, he’s been going every week “for the fun of the game and the chance to connect with old friends and meet new ones.”
For Moy, once he went that first time, he never stopped playing.
“The vibe is friendly, social, and mildly competitive,” said Moy. It’s “playing with friends and the opportunity to do some good-natured ribbing” that keeps him going back each week.
A cross-court move to Acton
While the group usually plays rain or shine, sometimes even bringing leaf blowers to dry the courts, it’s time to move the game indoors.
“Wet courts and gusty winds will not deter us!” said Moy. But the snow will, which is why each Saturday at the Acton Racquet Club, a new group will play on indoor courts.
Why Acton? Jew met Acton Racquet Club owner Jerry Abrams on the pickleball court, and the two have been drill partners ever since. Now, they are teaming up to bring the community together — to stay active, get social, and play pickleball.
To join the weekly Saturday pickleball group at the Acton Racquet Club, sign up at https://paddleuppickledown.wixsite.com/paddle-up, email paddleuppickledown@gmail.com, or connect on TeamReach with code Paddle-002.
Natalie Jew is the daughter of Grant Jew, leader of the pickleball group.
