In the quiet community of Dillsburg, tucked between beautiful farmland, the Appalachian trail, and a short commute to Harrisburg in central Pennsylvania, a stir has started. Pickleball. This winter we gathered at a local church for nearly thirty minutes to assemble a portable net, mark off the court boundaries, and lay masking tape upon the carpeted floor. Why? Because we love the sport and we have a vision.
Our short term vision is to build four courts on the property of another church. Today we don't have approved plans for those courts, nor do we even know the exact location on that property. We simply have a vision, a very good and inspiring vision.
With a name like Dillsburg, it seems only natural to bring pickleball into our community. Our coordinating board is aptly named Dillsburg Area Pickleball. Many events in our locale are centered around the pickle. First settled by Matthew Dill in 1740, we have an annual Picklefest in the spring where runners sprint around town at a pace faster than a pickle. In the fall we have a Farmer's Fair with a contest for the best grown and cooked foods such as pickles. But the biggest event is our annual pickle drop on New Year's Eve. It only seems natural to expand into pickleball.
Someday we will not have to lay masking tape on our courts or place temporary plastic markers on the school's outdoor tennis courts. We will look back at those early days with humble gratitude. We will need to raise the money for those courts, possibly $120,000.
In our first half-year, we have grown to nearly thirty active players. This summer we will play outside our county on public courts. That is Cumberland County where there are many courts — some are approaching capacity.
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Pickleball is much more than a competitive sport, it builds a community. In a season of our lives when people have moved from love to distrust and sarcasm, pickleball restores that friendship relationship. We get to learn about family situations, their pets, their personal joys, and their sadnesses. We don't discuss politics or religion, we build rather than tear down. That is the Dillsburg many of us remember, and that is what we hope to restore.
