Currently the fastest growing sport in the country, it is estimated that over 48 million people nationwide are playing pickleball. Pickleball was first developed by Joel Pritchard, Barney McCallum, and Bill Bell in 1965 in the state of Washington. These three dads were looking for a game to keep their children active during the summer. The dads used the equipment that they had available including a wiffle ball, table tennis paddles, and an old badminton court along with badminton rules and the game of pickleball was created.

Pad 71 owner, Chad Soulek, has always had a competitive nature, but noticed as he has gotten older that there were not a lot of sporting activities that he was still able to participate in. He wanted to stay active and be able to engage his competitive side in a fun, social activity. When pickleball came to Freeman (where his Lawns Unlimited business is based out of) a year ago, Chad began playing. He saw how popular it became in Freeman starting with one court, having now expanded to three and thought why not bring it to his hometown of Wagner.

As a novice pickleball player himself, the sport offers him just the right combination of physical activity, competition, and sociability. It was a request by a community member that made Chad decide to make the move to creating an indoor pickleball court in the backroom of Pad 71. He had the space, and the costs of the set up and equipment were nominal. The concrete court is regulation sized and able to accommodate single or double play. Having it located in the backroom of Pad 71 means that it will be heated in the winter and air conditioned in the summertime.

Pad 71 will not charge per game but will instead have a fee that will allow an individual to get a code to come play anytime day or night and as often as he or she would like to. The monthly fee includes the use of all the equipment needed to play the game. The court is open to all ages and family play is encouraged.

Chad would love to eventually be able to host pickleball tournaments and league play, depending on the needs and wants of the community. He has found a free app that he will utilize called Pickleheads. This app allows people to create matches with other local pickleballers as well as allow people to see when the pickleball court is available. The court is first come first serve and anyone who is interested should call Chad at 605-481-1741 to get started.

This is just one of the many new attractions that will be available at Pad 71. Depending on how the indoor pickleball is received, Chad would like to create an outdoor court as well this summer. Pad 71 also has darts, cornhole, and Superbowl boards available. One of the interesting items that Chad is hoping to have available in the near future is a multi-sport simulator. This machine would include being able to play golf, bowling, baseball pitching, baseball batting, dodge ball, shooting games, football kicking, and more, all with real balls and equipment.