The rise of a new sport in El Paso brings a new addition to Ascarate Park

EL PASO, Texas -- Pickleball, a combination of tennis, table tennis, and badminton, has exploded in popularity in El Paso and is bringing a change to Ascarate Park.

Pickleball El Paso Association, a conglomeration of pickleball players in El Paso, has been pushing the county and city to add permanent pickleball courts to public parks. El Paso has zero courts for players to practice their sport. Many can use a tennis court to play the game, but it is much larger than a pickleball court, and the striping on the surface is not the same.

“You have to get there before the tennis players to get a court. Other cities have permanent, dedicated pickleball courts, and it’s easy," Jamie Fisher, president of the association, explained about the need for a permanent court.

That will soon change. The director of the county's parks and recreation department, Veronica Myers, says one of the tennis courts at Ascarate park is being resurfaced and converted to four permanent pickleball courts.

“With the growing demand of pickleball, we wanted to make sure we had pickleball courts in our central park," Myers said.

The dimensions of a tennis court are 74 feet by 36 feet, while a pickleball court is much smaller, with dimensions 44 feet by 20 feet.

You can read more about Pickleball El Paso Association and their upcoming events on their website here.