BY CLIFF SMELLEY
A partnership between the city of Starke and the Rotary Club of Starke resulted in the creation of a pickleball courts, which were officially dedicated on April 2.
The four courts, contained within fencing, are located at the Edwards Road Complex in Starke (930 W. Edwards Road). The city of Starke obtained a $22,000 Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program grant to help pay for the $30,000-plus project that renovated existing tennis courts. The remainder of the cost was covered by the Rotary Club, which received a $7,500 Operation Round Up grant from Clay Electric and provided its own matching funds.
“We’re very proud of this and the partnership with Rotary,” Starke Mayor Scott Roberts said before cutting the ribbon with Rotary Club of Starke President Matt Dyal. “We’re proud to show that we can come together and get things done.”
Jimmy Crosby, Starke’s former city clerk, said “the stars lined up” in bringing the project to fruition.
Crosby and his wife, Leslie, attended a pickleball clinic two years ago and came away thinking that it’d be great to provide an opportunity to play the sport in Starke.
“We didn’t want to spend regular tax dollars on it,” Crosby said. “We wanted to find a financial resource. A FRDAP grant hit at the right time.”
Crosby didn’t know it at the time, but the Rotary Club had the same vision. Dyal asked at a club meeting for ideas on what could be done for a community service project. He said the club’s treasurer, Kim Smith, replied, “What about pickleball? Pickleball’s very popular.”
That led to Dyal visiting Crosby with the idea the same week that the city had obtained the FRDAP grant.
“It just all worked out perfectly,” Dyal said.
Dyal said the Rotary Club may look to partner with the city of Starke for more projects at the Edwards Road Complex.
“We can see opportunities to do more stuff out here,” Dyal said.
That’s exciting for Crosby to hear. He likes the idea of the city partnering with Rotary or any other civic club to do something for Starke’s citizens.
“I think this is just the first step,” Crosby said, adding, “The city wants to be open to that.”
Pickleball, which was invented in 1965, is described as a combination of tennis, ping-pong and badminton. It’s played with solid paddles that are lighter than and have shorter handles than tennis racquets. The ball is made of plastic and resembles a whiffle ball.
Courts are 20 feet in width and 44 feet in length, with a net that is 34 inches high in the middle and 36 inches high at its ends.
Like tennis, serves are made diagonally, but they are underhand instead of overhand.
Pickleball courts are composed of a non-volley zone known as “the kitchen” that extends 7 feet from each side of the net.
An Aug. 17, 2023, “Business Insider” story reported the results of a nationwide survey of 18,000 people conducted by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association in 2022 that indicated pickleball was the fastest-growing sport in the country, with 8.9 million playing in 2022 — an 85-percent increase from 2021.
The State of Pickleball: Participation and Infrastructure Report, which included the survey results, revealed that 25,784 new courts would have to be built in the coming years to meet demand. According to that report, 51,937 courts at more than 12,000 facilities existed in the U.S. at that time.
One appeal of the sport is that it can be played by young and old alike. Roberts said, “I have not played it, but I have read about it and seen it. All ages can play. There aren’t too many sports out there that a grandparent can play with their grandchild.”
Roberts thanked those representing the city of Starke and the Rotary Club for attending the dedication. He also recognized Bradford County Manager Scott Kornegay and county commissioners Diane Andrews and Carolyn Spooner for being in attendance.
“I think the city and the county are trying to do more together,” Roberts said, adding, “I don’t get a chance to say anything like this publicly very much, so I do want to (say I) appreciate the county.”
