How did Harrison Michigan Pickleball for Fun get started?

I was scrolling through Harrison Matters on Facebook one day in March of 2023, and I spotted a post inquiring about whether anyone in Harrison played pickleball. Kathy Laubon had written that post while she was in Florida. We connected and she set up the Facebook page Harrison Michigan Pickleball for Fun. I started the Team Reach and added her as co-administrator. Let’s back up to 2022 when I ran into Hayes Township Clerk Deb Hoyt and inquired about the status of striping on the tennis courts. She followed up with the contractor and the lines were painted on two tennis courts in September of 2022.

When Kathy returned from Florida in May of 2023, we got the game going. Kathy and Bruce Laubon devoted countless hours to instruction teaching new players the game once or twice a week. Bruce would clean the leaves off the courts. Word spread and we soon had players on the courts every morning and a couple of evenings per week.

Early in 2024, Hayes Township gave permission for our group to tape lines on the unused fenced concrete area. Members donated nets, tape, chairs, paddle racks, and money for supplies. Volunteers taped the courts and set up nets. We now have three regulation pickleball nets that are used daily and two overflow courts on the tennis side.

Larry Shay started the Ladder League in late summer of 2024. Twenty players competed during the first event. Games are played to 15 instead of the traditional 11.

Interesting tidbit on how pickleball got its name. Bored kids back in Washington State started the game from ping pong paddles and a whiffle ball on a badminton court. One of the mothers said it was like the leftover rowers who got the pickle boat.

We are a friendly and welcoming group. Interested players should check out our Facebook page or check the Team Reach app – code H48625.

Submitted by Gail Garrity