Montecito Y’s Pickleball Courts Grand Opening

The Montecito YMCA held its much anticipated Pickleball Courts Grand Opening on Saturday, May 10, from 9 am through 12 pm. It was a great sun-filled day with balmy temperatures, perfect for hitting the courts. 

When I arrived, the pickleball courts were packed with people playing and others waiting to jump into a game – the energy was high with smiles all around. The Montecito Y’s Executive Director Ryan Power pulled out all the stops by equipping the courts with a wide variety of pickleball paddles, an oversized paddle for fun, and four ball caddies packed to the brim. Alongside Power was the Health and Wellness Director of the Y, Ben Oler, who is a certified pickleball pro. 

Overseeing the pickleball players with tips, coaching and game rules were Oler and two additional Pro-Certified Pickleball experts, Jay Campbell, and Dave Wilcox. Also on hand were Channel Islands YMCA Marketing and Communications Director Dan Noah, and Membership Director John Norman.

I talked with Oler and Campbell about the sport and the courts. Oler, “We finally brought pickleball to the Montecito YMCA. I feel this is a great opportunity for our community to come, be active, and have a great time. I say for a game like this, it’s a great way to get people outside, have fun and stay active.”

Adding to Oler’s sentiment, Campbell explained, “It’s a really fun sport, everybody can play, the culture is everyone is welcome, and the skill level comes pretty quickly; doesn’t take years to learn. It’s really fun and very inclusive. This sport is almost like ping-pong, where one can play the way they play, it doesn’t have to be a particular stroke and you can get pretty good with that skill set. Fun fact, I went to Montecito Union School, I grew up here and I’ve been coming to the Montecito Y since I was six years old. I even still have a trophy from the Y [laughs]. It feels really great to be here at the Y, like a homecoming for me. I was teaching tennis at the Four Seasons Biltmore Montecito, then we got a pickleball court and got certified as a pro, and now I’m here. I love the sport!”

The court area had a balloon arch with a bright red ribbon between two center courts for the official ribbon cutting, which took place at 9:30 am. Ryan handed out the Y’s preschool scissors to all there to join in a community ribbon cutting. After posing for photos, the countdown was called by everyone with Ryan Power leading. Following the ribbon cutting was a pickleball toss with everyone, to capture the fun of the sport. Next, Oler, Campbell and Wilcox went straight into coaching and rotated players to give everyone a chance to play and learn the game. 

Also noted, Power and Oler switch out the pickleball courts for basketball only, or mix half the courts for each sport. The pickleball nets are on rollers, portable, and easily moved to the side. Check the schedules online or call the Y.  

411: www.ciymca.org/montecito