Beer City or Pickle City?
Overview of the pickleball scene in Grand Rapids, Michigan
—By Avery Roxbury
Upon arrival, you drive up a relatively large hill and find yourself at a lookout where you can oversee the whole city of Grand Rapids. In one direction is a beautiful view of the city; in the other, an array of pickleball courts and a grandstand in the center. All you hear is laughing and an overwhelming amount of clicking, the clicking of hundreds of pickleballs against paddles. As you get closer, you will see a maze of organized chaos, systematically laid out with color-coded signage sorting the courts into skill level and social categories. This is the scene of Belknap pickleball courts upon my first arrival to play at the largest outdoor pickleball location in Michigan.
Grand Rapids, with 101 courts in 11 venues and a place for all ages to come and play, is home to the largest pickleball scene in Michigan. The largest venue, Belknap Park, has 21 courts separated by skill level. Belknap Park is strategically located in the middle of the city to attract the surrounding pickleball enthusiasts. The Grand Rapids Pickleball Club (GRPC) helps organize lessons, signage, and tournaments to help cater to all skill levels. Belknap and surrounding courts and communities help make Grand Rapids a prime location to join in on the fastest-growing sport in America.
Tournaments in the area
Pickleball tournaments were formally held at local parks in the Grand Rapids area. There are typically 2-3 tournaments throughout the summer, and even at these tournaments, “You could typically only find the older generation,” says Nichols. Preston Nichols, a young pickleball player, has played for roughly three years. He first started his pickleball journey at his favorite family campground one random Saturday morning. “I watched these older guys wake up every weekend and play so early in the morning. They really get into it, man.” Nichols was hesitant to start playing but was quickly welcomed into the pickleball community as the older guys taught him how to play and encouraged him to start playing in tournaments. As pickleball has significantly grown in popularity over the past year, there have been hundreds of tournaments all over the city, 12 of which were hosted by GRPC at Belknap Park. Nichols expresses that the tournament increase “has encouraged more young people to start playing; it helps bring in the competitive edge that people our age enjoy.”
The central compilation tournament in Grand Rapids is the Beer City Open, which takes place at Belknap Park. This tournament is six days long and has roughly 1,200 participants and 25+ age groups and event categories. This tournament started in 2018 with approximately 400 participants and has grown exponentially ever since. This tournament includes participants ranging from amateurs to pros. As the tournament grew, it became the largest pickleball tournament in Michigan. The tournament ran successfully for several years following its start in 2018, but the founders of Beer City dreamt of something bigger. Andrea Koop, a local professional in Grand Rapids, and John Frizzo, president of Grand Rapids Pickleball Club, realized the BCO tournament had the space and resources to expand the tournament even further. Koop plays for the Brooklyn Aces on the Major League Pickleball (MLP) tour and had personal connections to bring MLP to Grand Rapids. In 2024, the MLP tour came to BCO for the first time.
Jordan Duncan, a frequent Belknap Park player, watched all four MLP play days. “There really was nothing like it; the stands were packed all day every day, and the tournament showcased how many fans Grand Rapids has.” MLP only has eight events yearly, and Duncan said, “It was awesome to get to be part of the first of something,” not to mention this is the only tournament during the MLP season where all teams come together in one location. The tournament doesn’t only have pickleball: “There were tons of food trucks, games, and prizes surrounding the courts during the tournament,” Duncan says. As pickleball increases in popularity, Duncan projects that “participation is only expected to increase year after year.”
Let’s talk about the community
The Midwest is known for having an overly nice community of people, and the pickleball community is a prime example of this stereotype. Peyton Roxbury (the author’s sister) explains that pickleball, “although competitive, is known for being easy-going and extremely accepting” to new members and consistent players. Roxbury, a UM freshman and a Grand Rapids native, was nervous about playing pickleball with her friends for the first time because they were already quite advanced, and she didn’t want to bring down their level of play. “Upon arrival at the courts, I was greeted with warm smiles and a polite community more than willing to let me borrow their paddles and teach me how to play,” says Roxbury.
Micheal Sliwa, a YouTuber and avid pickleball player, has created a YouTube account called “Sleeve’s Senior Pickleball Report.” This channel was created to inform seniors about recent pickleball news and how to get involved or stay involved in the sport. Sliwa accredits pickleball’s recent popularity to Covid-19. “Pickleball was a great sport for social distancing. People began to pick it up during Covid to find something social to do while reducing the risk of exposure.” According to Hudef, a pickleball gear manufacturer, pickleball could accredit its social and inclusive community to the game’s layout. Most pickleball games are set up as recreational play, and players are encouraged to play with people they don’t know in singles and doubles matches. This requires social interaction that occurs almost every time a pickup match is played, which helps grow the community of players.
Pickling keeps you young
Pickleball is known for its community and wide age range of participants, from the youngest players who can barely hold a paddle to seniors. Roxbury states that one of the biggest pros of pickleball is that “you can show up to the courts and play with people of all ages, and you will still have good competition.” According to a research study from the Human Kinetics Journal, the combination of the low joint impact of the sport has shown increased longevity, cardiovascular condition, muscular condition, and joint mobility in adults over the age of 65. This study analyzed not only physical health but also mental health and well-being. Pickleball offers a community of people known for making even the older generation feel included. Helping older adults get out of the house and feel included is a significant factor in maintaining a healthy well-being and a sense of belonging. Nichols explained that he was “taught everything I know by all guys over 50.” As adults age, it becomes harder to participate in many team sports due to the physical demands; pickleball offers a competitive environment that “can be played as fast or as slow as you want it to,” Nichols describes. Sliwa, a YouTuber for the senior population of the pickleball community, comments, “As people get older, they find it hard to stay in touch with younger generations; pickleball is an easy sport to pick up, and it does keep us young.”
Where to go when the weather gets cold
The Midwest is known for more than just its kind community; it is also known for its frigid weather around the winter months. Before the peak of pickleball popularity, players were limited in their options on where to get their pickleball fix during Winter. Belknap, the largest pickleball court complex in Grand Rapids, is strictly outdoors and closes as soon as the snow hits. Nichols expressed that some community members were so desperate to play that “they would just get together at indoor tennis courts and make lines.” According to USA Pickleball, Pickleball grew by 51.8% from 2022 to 2023. With a drastic player increase in just one year, Grand Rapids heard the plea for more indoor and outdoor courts. In April 2023, the All In Pickleball Gym was opened. This complex features five indoor courts that are available from 4:00 AM to Midnight every day, even on holidays. This is the most popular indoor court complex in Grand Rapids because it is available to the public for a small fee of $9 per person per hour.
The future of pickleball is bright in Grand Rapids
There are four new pickleball facilities in the process of being built in Grand Rapids right now, both indoor and outdoor courts. One of them is Pickleball Rage. This indoor facility will be set up much like All in Pickleball and will have membership fees and court rentals. MVP Athletic Clubs just recently opened a 17,000-square-foot pickleball complex with six indoor and six outdoor courts. According to an MVP Athletic Club blog post, the president of MVP clubs, Chuck Osterink, explains the feelings surrounding the court opening in August, “this facility and its pickleball designated space have generated a lot of excitement.” MVP currently serves over 25,000 members in the community, and membership is expected to increase after the recent court opening. With new outdoor courts and indoor facilities opening, increased community involvement, and new summer tournaments, pickleball will continue to grow exponentially in the upcoming years. Grand Rapids and its pickleball scene are starting to create a name for itself both on the amateur and professional levels. Nichols states he has “found a new court to play at every month this past summer, and the competition is continuing to get stronger and stronger.”
Feature photo, Belknap Pickleball Park during the 2024 Beer City Open tournament; Photo credit, Avery Roxbury