The cold, Pennsylvania winters often drive people indoors to continue with their favorite sporting pastimes and a new business on the east side of Erie, Pennsylvania, is looking to take advantage of exactly that.
Presque Isle Pickleball has players flocking to its indoor courts on McClelland Avenue.
“Snowing Outside, But 70° In Here”
Michael Agresti owns the facility alongside his wife, Helen, and told Elspeth Mizner of Erie News Now, “It’s snowing outside, but it’s 70° in here. So all year long, we can provide a place for people of all skill levels to play and we can do it with six courts which is it’s nice because we can have clinics going on in some courts, we can have people who’ve reserved courts and others and then we have open play as well, so a lot of options for people.”
Young And Old Alike
The courts only opened in November but Michael and Helen have seen how pickleballer young and old pass the day playing competitively or just for fun.
“We have veterans that really love the facility. They like the courts that we put in. They’re professionally done and we’ve had a lot of beginners come too, so it’s it’s really nice we’ve got a mix of really good players and people just learning the sport.
“We’ve got all ages which is great, we’ve got people in their 80s playing, the little children playing and it’s been really well received”, said Agresti.
Equally Appealing To Beginners And Pros
Don Hill is one of those veterans. He has been playing for seven years now and encourages everyone to give it a try: “Get involved, people will see what kind of level you’re playing with and they’ll work with you. They want to see you stick around, so it just takes a little time, that’s all, you just gotta do it.
One of the huge attractions of pickleball is that it is equally appealing to beginners and pros and PIP reflects that with its offerings of tournaments and clinics.
“You Won’t Regret It”
As Agresti explains, “It’s a sport to grow. So we’ve set up a lot of beginner clinics and we have those going on on Saturday mornings and Wednesday nights. There’s opportunities for people to do private lessons, so we want new people to join us and we want the existing players to get better.”
Hill adds that even if you are feeling a little shy about joining experienced players on the courts, you won’t be able to quit once you get going: “It’s just fun, it’s good exercise. You get off the LazyBoy, quit watching TV, get out there, and just introduce yourself to this game, you won’t regret it.”
About Presque Isle Pickleball
Presque Isle Pickleball is located at 3515 McClelland Avenue, Erie, PA 16510.
People can reserve a court or participate in open play and clinics.
PIP also has party rooms available and plans to open their full kitchen at the end of the month.
Click here for more information.
About Presque Isle
Presque Isle State Park, spanning 3,112 acres (1,259 hectares), is a Pennsylvania State Park situated on a sweeping, sandy peninsula extending into Lake Erie, located approximately 4 miles (6 kilometers) west of Erie City in Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, USA.
Erie is about 115 miles north of Pittsburgh.
The peninsula curves northeastward, encircling Presque Isle Bay along its southern shoreline. Within its bounds, the park boasts 13 miles (21 kilometers) of roads, an extensive network of 21 miles (34 kilometers) of recreational trails, 13 designated beaches for swimming, and a well-equipped marina.
Among the favored activities enjoyed by visitors are swimming, boating, hiking, biking, and the delightful pursuit of birdwatching.
