Four new pickleball courts opened for play last month on the grounds of the Unity of Wimberley church.
On hand to celebrate the opening were Mimi Curry and John Falcón, who helped encourage Unity to refurbish their existing tennis courts and create four courts for pickleball play.
“There was so much interest out there and we wanted to help build a vibrant Pickleball community in Wimberley,” said Curry, who is an instructor. “We thank Unity for their tremendous support.”
More encouragement for the project came from Carly and Nathaniel Bruno, and thanks to a generous gift from Keith and Juli Moore, Carly’s parents, the existing tennis courts were resurfaced and striped to create four new pickleball courts and one tennis court.
“We love this game,” Carly said. “During Covid, looking forward to a game was great therapy. It provided a chance to socialize, move our bodies and to challenge ourselves.”
The fastest growing sport in America, it was reported in 2022 that nine million people are currently engaged in playing pickleball. That number was double from the year before.
Accessible to people of a range of abilities and ages, it is considered low impact and offers an aerobic workout. Proponents say it can be helpful for people recovering from surgeries.
“Even people with blown out knees can play and still get the workout they want,” Curry said.
Nathaniel Bruno says he has been playing the sport for four years. “It is easy to learn but hard to master, so there’s always the challenge to improve with each game.”
Instruction in the sport is provided by Curry; Brynn Medlar, a drill coach; and Ray Bowman, a PPR Certified Pickleball Instructor. Drilling clinics with Brynn Medlar began Sept. 27 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. and continue each Wednesday through Oct. 25. Cost for the Drilling Clinics are $10 each and paid in cash to the instructor or via Venmo.
Open from 8 a.m. to sunset, Monday through Saturday, the courts are available for open play Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday from 8 to 11 a.m. There is additional open play from 4:30 p.m. to sunset on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays.
All other times are reserved for singles or teams. Cost for reserved play is $20 per hour. For open play the cost is $5.
Reservations and payments are made online at unityofwimberley. com through the Court Reserve platform. A first-time liability waiver is required. No cash for reservations is accepted.
Unity of Wimberley is located at 455 White Wings Rd., off of FM 3237.
