A Game for the Generations. This is a site dedicated to providing information, pictures and amusement to Massachusetts based picklers with a primary focus on Greater Boston MA.
bostonpickleball@gmail.com
Here are just a few of Rosemary's pickleball friends. Rosemary lost her husband Keith earlier this week. There was an amazing outpouring of support as witnessed by the long lines at the Wake which included many players in our pickleball community. Keith was a highly respected man and loved by many. I'm sure that Rosemary will get continued support during these dark days ahead.
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Malden Indoors Schedule
We will be running our pickleball session this fall from September 24th through December 17th at the Dome. We are going to be there 6:00PM to 8:45PM. Same fees: $3 for residents and $5 for non-residents.
Thank you and hope to see you see!
Laura Perez Malden Recreation Clerk Macdonald Stadium Clerk Malden Public Parks Clerk City of Malden 32 Pearl Street Malden, MA 02148 781-397-7168 (stadium office ) 781-771-5464 (cell ) lperez@cityofmalden.org
Monday, August 26, 2019
Braintree and Jamaica Plain players enjoyed a gathering with open play
JP honors Karen McCormack with a plaque and many thanks for all the work she has done in bringing pickleball to Boston. Thanks to Craig Corcoran for making the day special.
JP has a strong program that meets Saturdays at 9 AM, South Street courts. One court is set aside for beginners from 9-10 AM.
Detainees get ready for a pickleball match (Courtesy of Roger Bel Air)
Roger BelAir is a 72-year-old from Edmonds, Washington. In 2011, he fell in
love with a sport called pickleball.
"You know, here was a sport that was very easy to learn, it's easy on the joints, it's great exercise, it's incredibly social," Roger says. "Somebody once said it’s the most social sport since skinny dipping. And, most importantly, it’s fun."
In pickleball, teams of two stand on a miniature tennis court with oversized ping pong paddles and hit a Wiffle Ball back and forth over a net.
"Almost everybody can play this from 9 years old, up to — I've played with people over 90 years old," Roger says.
These days, Roger travels the country teaching the sport at retirement homes, high-end destination spas ... and prisons.
Cook County
Roger wasn't always focused on criminal justice reform. But one night, after watching a "60 Minutes" segmentabout Cook County Jail in Chicago, Roger got an idea.
"I thought to myself, you know, 'This would be terrific,' " Roger says. "Sport that I love — introduced inside the prison system. It would give the people an opportunity to get some exercise and also learn life skills, like learning from mistakes, thinking about consequences, being a good teammate."
Roger also adds this: "The most popular sport on the inside is basketball. But you have young aggressive men. And, as you can imagine, once they get on the court, there’s a lot of injuries. There’s some people that even want to eliminate basketball from being played on the inside."
Roger thought pickleball was the perfect alternative. So, in 2017, he decided to write a letter to Cook County — America’s largest jail — asking to teach pickleball to the detainees.
His family thought he was delusional.
"They said, 'This time you've lost it,' " Roger remembers. " ‘You've lost it before, but this time, it’s really over the top. And not only that, but you can go ahead and you can write Sheriff Dart a letter, but don’t even expect a reply.’ "
Roger wrote the letter anyways. He says Sheriff Tom Dart had never heard of pickleball.
"But over dinner that night, mentioned it to his 8-year-old daughter," Roger says. "And she says, something like, 'Oh, Dad, you’re so out of it. I'll tell you about pickleball.' "
A few weeks later, Roger was inside the walls of Cook County.
"It was the first time I've ever been in a prison, and its very unsettling," Roger says. "Prisons are very tough on the inside. It’s not a friendly environment. There’s no laughter. People are in there for serious crimes. I was particularly nervous once I stood up in front of the men and started telling them what the game was — and wasn’t getting much of a positive reaction."
Roger BelAir explains pickleball to detainees. (Courtesy of Roger BelAir)
I spoke to a 34-year-old detainee at Cook County, who is charged with murder. He told me how pickleball helps give him something to look forward to — how it takes the stress away and how it makes him want to do better.
Roger doesn't shy away from the reality that he works with violent men accused of unsettling crimes. That’s what drives his work.
"If guys don’t behave, they can’t play," Roger says. "I know one situation where one inmate screamed at another, 'I'd beat the hell out of you, but if I did, I couldn’t play pickleball.' Well, how wonderful is that?
"One inmate screamed at another, 'I'd beat the hell out of you, but if I did, I couldn’t play pickleball.' "
— Roger BelAir
"I know another situation where two guys were out on the court. They gave each other high fives and then realized that they belonged to opposite gangs."
After his success at Cook County, Roger was invited to teach pickleball at Rikers Island and Washington State Penitentiary. He’s far from a bleeding heart, but he understands the reality that 95% of inmates will be released at some point.
"They’re going to be out on our freeways, they’re going to be in our shopping malls, they’re going to be in parks where our kids are playing," Roger says. "If we can make them better people on the inside, it’s going to make it safer for all of us once they’re on the outside."
Roger plans to continue traveling the country teaching the game he loves, one correctional institution at a time.
"I don’t know how far this is going to go, but Johnny Appleseed started one with apple," Roger says. "And if I can help the world become a better place by making it safer for all of us, that’s exactly what I want to do."
Detainees at Cook County and Roger BelAir pose for a photo. (Courtesy of Roger BelAir)
The second annual Coats for Kids pickleball charity tournament will be held on 9/28 and 9/29 at Collins Cove Park. Last year we raised over $4000.00.This year, we would like to set a goal for $5000.
We will have raffle tickets again for paddles and gift cards. Here's the signup page:
