Fort Madison Pickleball Courts: The Fort Madison Pickleball Committee continues to improve the pickleball courts at Victory Park, which have seen high use since opening in 2023. With a shelter house now built and benches coming soon, the group plans more additions through grants and donations to support the growing number of players.
A Growing Sport for All Ages
Phyllis Porter, a retired Fort Madison resident who now lives in Wever with her husband Bob Porter, shared updates about the project. She said she picked up pickleball after retiring from her job at the Fort Madison prison, where she worked for 37 years.
“One thing I wanted to do when I retired, though, was to remain active. And that’s when I found pickleball.”-(Phyllis Porter).
“It does attract all ages, young to old, to play. It’s a very popular sport and it’s the fastest growing sport in the country right now.”-(Phyllis Porter)
Phyllis Porter described pickleball as a mix of tennis, badminton, and paddleball, noting that different balls are used for indoor and outdoor games. She also said paddles are required to play.
“It’s not only a physical sport, pickleball is very social too. I’ve met a lot of people – I thought I knew a lot of people in Fort Madison, but I met a whole lot more people just by playing pickleball.”-(Phyllis Porter)
“It’s really good for the social aspect and help with your mental health because you’re being active and you’re just out socializing.”-(Phyllis Porter)
From Two Indoor Courts to a Full Outdoor Space
Phyllis Porter started playing at the Fort Madison YMCA, which only had two indoor pickleball courts. She said it quickly became crowded.
“There were a lot of people that would come and play. You can only play four players at a time, so we had 20 people show up, so you’d have to wait, that kind of thing. We always talked about doing something on the outside, having them set up new courts.”-(Phyllis Porter)
When the old tennis courts at Victory Park became too worn out, local pickleball players saw an opportunity. Phyllis Porter said several of them went to a city meeting to suggest turning those courts into a pickleball space.
In 2021, the Fort Madison Pickleball Association Committee was formed. Members include Phyllis Porter, Donna Amandus, Lynn Hoyer, Rita Holtkamp, Sandra Miller, Sharon Bartlett, Jenny Flach, and Bev Brockman.
“So through lots of hard work, dedication, grants and donations from businesses in the community, the committee was able to get new pickleball courts installed and open for play in 2023, And as you probably observe, by driving by there, especially in the spring and summer months, those courts are very busy with players every day as long as the weather permits.”-(Phyllis Porter)
New Amenities Continue to Be Added
Due to the courts’ popularity, the committee started adding features to improve the experience. One recent project was a shelter house.
“And as a result of more fundraising and a grant received through the committee, we started installing the shelter house,The concrete leads right into the courts and so it makes it very nice.”-(Phyllis Porter)
Next, the committee will install three benches with covers, made possible by a grant from Climax.
“That was one of the grants that we got from Climax. There’s going to be three benches and they’ll go down the center of the aisle. There’s three courts, and then there’s a center aisle, and those benches will go down that center aisle. They’ll have seating on both sides and then they’ll have a cover over those benches.”-(Phyllis Porter)
The city might also add a water fountain. Other future goals include more landscaping, adding squeegees to dry wet courts, and buying a camera to stop vandalism.
“All in all, this project has been a great asset for Fort Madison. It’s brought people from other surrounding communities with the tournaments and stuff, I went down to Keokuk to play pickleball because they had outside courts and I met people down there and they’ve all been up here playing. So they’re probably spending money in Fort Madison and that kind of thing and that’s what we want them to do.”-(Phyllis Porter)
Phyllis Porter said that funding efforts are ongoing.
“The total project cost has been more than $355,000. Tons of people from the community and surrounding communities have enjoyed this newly designed space”-(Phyllis Porter)
The committee is accepting donations through the Fort Madison Beautification Foundation. Treasurer Lynn Hoyer also collects donations.
News in Brief: Fort Madison Pickleball Courts
The Fort Madison Pickleball Committee has expanded the Victory Park courts with a new shelter house and more features coming soon. Led by Phyllis Porter and others, the group is raising funds to improve the site with benches, a water fountain, and safety tools to keep the pickleball courts inviting and well-used.
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