PERSONAL PICKLEBALL
By Chris Wadsworth
There are probably hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Ashburn homes with a basketball hoop in the driveway. Many homes have a swimming pool in the backyard. Some might even have a volleyball net or – for the hardcore golfers – a putting green.
But we’re guessing few Ashburn homeowners have a full-size regulation pickleball court out back. But that’s exactly what the Burnett family built two years ago, and it’s been non-stop serving, lobbing and dinking ever since.
“I still have the same paddle that (I got) in 2003 and I still use it today,” said Edward Burnett.
You saw that date right – more than 20 years ago. Most people probably think of pickleball as a recent phenomenon. It exploded in popularity during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and was named the fastest-growing sport in America by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. But Burnett was an early adopter when he lived here in Northern Virginia after college.
“Some of the first people I met were a couple from Seattle and the gentleman was a congressman,” he said. “I got to know them, and they asked me and my buddy if we wanted to play doubles pickleball. Our reaction was – ‘what is pickleball?’”
At that time – according to the folks at USA Pickleball – there were only about 150 pickleball courts in the entire country. Today, more than 68,000 are listed in their official database – and that’s probably not including the one in the Burnetts’ backyard.
The court came to be because when the Burnetts bought a home in Brambleton, it came with a sports court in the backyard featuring basketball hoops. The family’s four kids loved it. So, when they moved to the Village of Waxpool neighborhood in 2022, everyone missed having a sports court. A decision was made to build one in their new backyard – and that’s when Edward suggested adding pickleball lines and a pickleball net in addition to the basketball hoops.
“I had never even Googled what pickleball was,” said Edward’s wife, Erin, a stay-at-home mom. “I had a growing interest in tennis, and he told me pickleball would help my tennis game … and I trusted him and said, ‘Ok, let’s go for it.’”
Soon, the entire family had learned this upstart game – and we’re not just talking about the Burnetts’ kids. Erin’s parents from Leesburg also got in on the action, and it changed their lives.
“I was pretty athletic in my younger years, but that is ancient history,” said her mother, Eileen Polachek. “And it was like a lightning bolt hit me. I thought I can do this. It just opened a whole new world for me.”
Today, Eileen – who is approaching 70 – plays pickleball with her husband, Ralph, three to four times a week, and she plays with other friends as well. “I play easily four to five hours a day, five days a week.”
And it has brought all three generations of this American family together in a beautiful way.
“Our kids are at the age now as teenagers where grandparents are usually boring,” Erin said. “But every Sunday, our oldest asks the same question – ‘Hey, are Nina and Granddude going to come over and play pickleball?’ And they do. We have dinner and play pickleball and we’re pretty overjoyed that our family has something super fun to do together.”
Edward – who works in the senior housing industry – recognizes that pickleball once had a reputation as a sport for senior citizens, or at least for older people. But that has changed completely with the recent boom in interest.
“One of the reasons I love pickleball is because it offers something for everyone,” he said. “As we’ve seen in our life, the sport appeals to all ages, skill levels and friend groups.”
According to a 2023 report from the Association for Pickleball Professionals (yes, there are pickleball professionals – coaches, trainers, and even pro athletes), more than 48 million Americans played pickleball at least once in the past year – and the average age? A smidge under 35.
The sports court in the Burnetts’ backyard was part of a larger project that included a swimming pool and an outdoor patio and pavilion, but Edward estimates that the sports court alone with the pickleball layout wasn’t that expensive by itself. “10 to 20 grand,” he said.
Erin Burnett, who went from newbie to passionate player in a matter of months, is already eyeballing a redesign of the sports court to fit two pickleball courts and nets instead of the current one.
It’s music to the ears of her husband – the guy who was playing pickleball long before most people had ever heard of it.
“I just love the personality of pickleball,” Edward said. “We have friends over and you can have great athletes playing a really intense, competitive game. But you can also have a very casual, fun game of pickleball with less skilled players and slower play and it’s just as fun. It’s just a versatile sport.”