Pickleball has exploded in popularity in recent years both at the national level and locally, with a number of communities in the area setting up courts that are kept busy through word of mouth.

While the sport – which resembles tennis with a lowered net and smaller court as well as a plastic ball akin to a wiffle ball – has folks active at local parks, Monroe County also has some connections to the pro pickleball scene across the river with the St. Louis Shock.

Waterloo’s Karen Valerius – who frequently pops up in pickleball Facebook groups inviting folks to play – signed on with the Shock’s minor league team earlier this year.

A Waterloo resident since 1996 with her husband and three kids, Valerius described how she happened upon the sport via Facebook, finding herself at the courts in Red Bud’s Lincoln Park.

Playing with a couple people she’s still friends with today, Valerius instantly developed a passion.

“Immediately fell in love, came home, told my husband, we went to St. Louis the same day and bought us both paddles and balls,” Valerius said. “We went to the tennis courts in Waterloo, and I started teaching him how to play pickleball the same day.”

That enthusiasm for the sport has only grown in the years that have followed.

Starting to play in August 2020, she recalled being invited to Camp Wartburg to use their facilities to play through the winter, and she’s continued to help host that setup every year since, getting some extra income for the camp and teaching newcomers four nights every week from November to April.

She further spoke to her activity at the courts in Red Bud as well as her agreement that Waterloo could use some additional pickleball space beyond the two existing courts at Lakeview Park.

Columbia’s Metter Park also has pickleball courts. 

When it comes to playing in St. Louis, Valerius recalled that her time with the Shock began as another local who’s also a frequent Facebook pickleball poster spoke about the organization starting up a minor league team.

“Anybody could audition, so I was like, ‘I don’t know what this is, and I don’t know what this means, but I’m going for it,’ because anything that got me more involved with pickleball was where I wanted to be,” Valerius said.

That team started earlier this year and is currently in something of a trial period.

Her participation with the Shock has helped her play in several other states – though Valerius noted she’s already had some positive experiences playing at various tournaments since she first threw herself into the sport five years ago.

Another local connection to the Shock – and the person who got Valerius involved – is John Kleinschmidt of Columbia, who currently serves as director of talent and minor league operations for the organization.

Kleinschmidt – who’s lived in Monroe County for 21 years now – discussed his athletic background which includes playing college and professional racquetball all over the country. He also coached high school racquetball in St. Louis for about 30 years.

He recalled his first exposure to pickleball and how he ultimately found it to be a nice blend of racquetball and table tennis.

“Seven years ago, I noticed somebody was playing some crazy game that looked like miniature tennis,” Kleinschmidt said. “I asked what that was, and he said it was pickleball. I’d never heard of it in my life. I tried it out. I enjoyed it because I played a lot of tennis growing up, and I played racquetball.”

His interest strengthened amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, around the same time his interest in racquetball began waning. Kleinschmidt specifically noted his interest in the strategic element of pickleball.

He got his coaching certificate in 2020 and began both teaching and playing at a higher level. Since his professional retirement, he’s turned his full attention to pickleball.

Kleinschmidt said he works with a number of clubs in the area to conduct pickleball clinics and lessons, and his work with the Shock began fairly recently.

Both Kleinschmidt and Valerius offered a range of thoughts as they discussed their personal interest in pickleball and their considerations for why it’s grown so much in popularity.

With Kleinschmidt as one example of someone moving to pickleball from another sport, Valerius discussed how that sort of transition isn’t uncommon in her experience.

“I never played tennis, but a lot of people do come from tennis, and the reason they fall in love with pickleball is because it’s less running,” Valerius said. “It’s a smaller court. You can play singles, but normally you’re playing with two people on a smaller court, so you don’t have to have that athletic ability to run back and forth on the court chasing that crazy ball. You just kind of play in your section.”

Though the smaller court is something of an appeal, Valerius noted pickleball still involves plenty of movement and activity, as did Kleinschmidt as he noted how he’s seen people lose weight playing.

“You’re more active,” Valerius said. “You’re not sitting on the couch. You’re doing something.”

Both athletes also acknowledged there are some injuries that can arise during play, though they’re generally not as harsh as other sports.

Valerius commented on the possibility of orthopedic doctors getting a nice spike in business thanks to pickleball.

While pickleball players can suffer physical strain like any athlete, both Valerius and Kleinschmidt also commented on how accessible the game is, with the Shock minor league consisting of a broad spectrum of people. Valerius remarked that she believes the team includes both a 70-year-old and a 12-year-old.

“This is a sport for every age and every ability,” Valerius said. “You don’t have to be that athlete, and I think that’s why pickleball is exploding. You don’t have to be that person that can run like crazy or have the best hand-eye coordination. You can play at any level.”

Kleinschmidt expressed a similar sentiment.

“Anybody can play, any age, any shape, any size person can play,” Kleinschmidt said. “They can learn it pretty quickly. They can get good pretty quickly, but it takes a lot to get really good and master the game.”

Another major positive of the game is the exceptional community surrounding it.

As mentioned, a number of Facebook groups exist just for communities in and around Monroe County, with folks inviting experienced and new players to come out and have fun for a few hours.

Kleinschmidt spoke about how he’s experienced that sort of positivity throughout his pickleball career.

“The community of pickleball, there’s really nothing like it,” Kleinschmidt said. “Everybody’s so friendly. So many people have met new people through the game, and it’s actually very good for your health.”

Valerius likewise spoke about how she’s had positive interaction even attending tournaments over the years.

“You go to tournaments, and it’s not like, ‘Oh, you’re the enemy,’” Valerius said. “It’s like everybody’s best friends, and you leave that tournament thinking, ‘I just got three new people’s phone numbers.’”

At the professional pickleball level, Kleinschmidt noted St. Louis will be busy next weekend as it will serve as the host city for a Major League Pickleball event from July 17-20 at Chaifetz Arena.

At the more local level, those interested in pickleball are heavily encouraged to check out the Waterloo Pickleball Group, Red Bud Pickleball Group and other groups on Facebook to see when players will be active at courts in the community.