The last Tuesday morning “open play” pickleball session of the season at the East Side Park courts.(Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
A clock to remind people when it’s time to stop pickling. Better enforcement of court time limits to avoid “awkward social interactions.” And measures to keep people who live out of town from using a bogus address to sign up to use the courts.
As the first season of play wraps up at Red Bank’s new East Side Park pickleball courts, the Borough’s Recreation Department and Parks and Recreation Committee are considering these changes and other proposals to better manage the insatiable demand for court time next spring.
Tuesday open play pickleball at the East Side Park courts and (below) the open play rules posted at the courts. Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
Because while, by all accounts, the first season of the new courts was a rousing success, this is still pickleball we’re talking about — a booming sport whose explosive growth has caused friction and turf battles nationwide.
And, here during Red Bank’s first year with the new courts? Oh yeah, things got a little nutty sometimes.
“It got to the point where it was out of control,” said Recreation Director Oscar Salinas.
That happened shortly after the borough began requiring players to book courts using an app as the spring season got underway in earnest.
The software gives Red Bank residents priority, allowing them to book a court four days in advance. Non-residents can only book a court one day in advance.
Pretty quickly, picklers started trying smash some tweeners past the system.
Some players from sections of Middletown that have a Red Bank zip code were trying to use the digits 07701 to get resident priority. Others from out of town were booking courts under the names and addresses of friends who live in town. Demand for peak times had players logging on the very second bookings became available, like Swifties angling for tickets to see Taylor.
Complaints from picklers unable to book morning or evening court time through the app prompted the borough to create “open play” times on Tuesday morning and Thursday evening. During “open play” anyone can show up and put their paddles in a queue to wait their turn.
That sparked another set of issues, with upwards of 40 people showing up at time, including large numbers of non-residents shut out by the priority booking system.
“It gets too exclusive,” said Bob Ficarra of Fair Haven said of the booking system as he walked off the court during a recent Tuesday open play session.
Pat Pinto, a Red Bank resident who advised the borough on various rule changes and court construction as a “pickleball advocate” in recent years, said she did a u-turn when she saw the number people showing up at open play.
“You play a game and you’re waiting a half hour. It really shouldn’t be that way,” she said.
“I was the one who fought for open play and I don’t go,” she said. “It should be fun, this is supposed to be a fun sport and not something that’s a hassle for anyone.”
But open play fans clearly want more than just Tuesday and Thursday. They also clearly want the open play sessions, which ended for in September, to continue year-round.
“We want more open play – that’s the deal,’’ said one man coming off the courts one Tuesday late last month.
Another woman chimed in: “I saw the mayor last night and said, “it’s got to happen. We need more open play.”
In addition to all that, Salinas said, was the challenge of making sure tennis players don’t get shut out from using the dual-use courts.
Nationwide, tennis players vs. pickler turf battles has proven the most contentious fault line amid the pickleball craze, going so far as a possible case of equipment shed arson in California.
“There’s also a group of tennis players and they’re not finding the space because it’s always booked,” Salinas said of the Red Bank courts.
The Red Bank Parks and Recreation Committee sent a series of recommendations to Salinas’s department to address the many issues next year. They include: requiring a person booking a court to be a Red Bank resident and requiring them to be present during play; limiting play to six hours a week for residents and two hours a week for non-residents; and limiting open play to 25 people with a sign-up requirement.
Salinas said Rec department officials and Borough Manager Jim Gant will consider the committee’s suggestions – along with a possible usage fee to pay for already evident wear and tear on the courts and nets. Such a fee, he said, would be a last resort and “probably not much, like ten dollars for the season.”
“The borough is trying to strike a balance between accommodating out of town visitors and at the same time prioritizing the residents in the best way possible,” said Adriana Medina-Gomez, Red Bank community engagement coordinator. “Although we are hearing complaints and we are actively trying to address all the complaints we do want to make sure we are mindful to strike that balance and make it so everyone can enjoy the space.’
One could forgive Salinas for hoping the sport goes the way of the 1970’s racquetball craze. And despite it all, he’s happy so many people took to the new courts. Too many players, after all, is a good problem to have.
“I think it went really well,” he said. “It was busy, I have to say, but it was a great season.”
In the meantime, Pinto and others praised him for keeping his cool in the kitchen.
“He’s really done a spectacular job,” Pinto said.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
