I write this letter excited and hopefully that plans to convert some of the tennis courts into pickleball at at City Park come to fruition.

I am a high-level pickleball player who drives to Salisbury a couple of times a week from Winston-Salem to play with the great group of players, led by Jon Post. Currently, we set up portable nets on courts with painted lines. Although this is a bit of a hassle, we don’t mind because we love the game and play it where we can.

The frustrating thing is the fact that the permanent tennis courts are always empty. I have never been there when more than two tennis courts actually have players on them.

On the flip side, when we play pickleball, we have anywhere from eight to 16 players there. When it was announced that the city was converting a small portion of the tennis courts to dedicated pickleball courts, we celebrated. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the country, with courts across the country being converted to meet the demand for places to play.

I’m not a tennis hater, far from it. I played through college, coached tennis collegiately and still love the game. Pickleball, however, is unique, combining athletics with a great social atmosphere. It’s something all city parks need to take advantage of moving forward.

Pickleball is very easy to start playing. If I can spend a good 30 minutes with a “newbie,” he or she will leave being able to play the game. That can’t be said for tennis.

The reason for my letter is to let people know that there are 100 players chomping at the bit to play on Salisbury City Park’s new courts for every tennis player that is whining about losing a couple of courts. Being that it’s a very social group, we always look forward to heading to downtown and eating at one of the great restaurants in Salisbury.

On behalf of myself and the North Carolina Pickleball Community, thanks to Jon Post and the City of Salisbury for their vision in planning these pickleball courts.

— Marcus Luke

Winston-Salem