by Sharon Niederman
RATON — There is a space war taking place across the country. Aficiandos of the newcomer sport of pickleball are battling with old school tennis devotees for space to enjoy their favorite recreation.
Raton has had its share of pickleball squabbles as the new sport has rapidly gained popularity and players have searched for a place to play. Pickleball lover Leslie Fernandez has been at the forefront of this quest. Fernandez says she first became interested in the sport as a relief from pandemic isolation and stagnation when two friends from Seattle, both “pickleball fanatics,” visited in mid-July, 2021 and got her out on the court. “They encouraged me that it could be done in Raton,” she said.
The controversy has so much energy that the New York Times covered it in a lengthy feature in the Sun., Oct. 23, 2022 edition. As the Times reported, “The desire for court space seems insatiable, and talk of pickleball as the next big thing is unceasing. Its newfound popularity is often framed as a grass-roots revolution fueled by what InPickleball magazine has described as the sport’s “uniquely transformative power.”
That language suits the ecstatic tones used in the sport’s marketing. It is often pitched as a unifying force able to bring together old and young, Republican and Democrat. A recent InPickleball article described the sport as “both comforting and exhilarating.”
“It’s about more (much more) than the sheer thrill of the game,” the story continued, “triggering something bigger, happier, healthier, and kinder in the lives of players.”
To some tennis partisans, the whole thing is a crock. Rather than being a grass-roots sport, Mr. Dulik and Mr. Nicholas argue, pickleball has been imposed on America by wealthy entrepreneurs looking to make money from the craze.”
Fernandez started by inviting friends to play and soon had a beginners group of eight playing at Raton High tennis courts. A player of racquetball and ping pong, she found pickleball “translated well.” As she said, “It was a way to be sociable, be outside, and exercise. It brought us out of our COVID funk.”
Enthusiasm for the sport has generated a group of 70-90 players per week in Raton. Trinidad and La Veta also have groups, and players visit Raton as well. Because Pueblo has dedicated courts, Raton players visit there about every three weeks.
Initially, pickleball players used RHS tennis courts, creating with tape six pickleball courts to each tennis court. However, because the tape left a residue, the “high school tennis coach was not happy,” Fernandez says. Because of the dispute, pickleball players did not play again until April. As the courts were built through a cooperative grant between federal, city, state and school funds that mandated ongoing public recreation in perpetuity, RPS Superintendent Kristi Medina declared the courts open to pickleball play. Then, in what Fernandez calls a “growing pain,” the tennis courts were taped for pickleball. Subsequentally, a “huge rift” developed, she said.
Eventually, pickleball players found a home in the Convention Center, but again, tape became a problem as it was claimed it damaged the floor finish. Fernandez says they found a better tape, that did not affect the floor, but it was “expensive, backbreaking work” to tape the courts and then remove the tape.
Raton City Manager Scott Berry then told the players they could no longer use the Convention Center. “He then offered us Kearney School gym – the school is still a city building – but while it has electricity, there is no water. It is a good gym floor, but it is so small only one court fit. It didn’t meet our needs,” Fernandez said.
As Superintendent Medina had given them the go-ahead, the group continued playing on the tennis courts, “knowing the tennis team was coming back.”
Finally, Colfax County offered players the old rodeo pavilion, with two courts. They have just started playing there this week. Concrete floor is not as good, and players are paying for their own LED lights, but “we really appreciate the county.”
Pickleball players play every day for 2-3 hours a day. They meet at 9 am for 2-1/2 to 3 hours a day. The courts are located two miles west of Tractor Supply on Hwy 55. “Everybody’s welcome,” Fernandez says. That means all levels, and equipment may be provided. For more information, please call Leslie Fernendez at 575-770-9786.
