New Pickleball Courts Are Coming to Parowan!

Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the country – especially for Americans aged 50+! Pickleball is a fun and fast-paced sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis. It’s played with a paddle and a plastic ball with holes, similar to a wiffle ball.

According to Pickleball Union, over half of pickleball players are 55 and older, and nearly a third are 65+. The sport’s low-impact nature, social aspects, and smaller court size make it particularly appealing to older adults.

The mayor of Parowan has seen the popularity of pickleball grow exponentially in her community, especially among those 55+.  Because of that, the mayor applied and received an AARP Community Challenge grant to help build new pickleball courts for the growing number of people wanting to play.

“Through the help of AARP’s Community Challenge grant, the city of Parowan is building pickleball courts in our community,” said Mollie Halterman, Parowan City Mayor. “With the growing popularity of the game, the 50+ members of our community will now enjoy the courts as an active space for social and physical wellbeing.”

Right now, the city is in the early stages of building new courts. Mayor Halterman says people are very excited about the new courts and have been stopping by to see the construction. The courts should be open to the public in a few short weeks.

And to celebrate, Mayor Halterman says the city is holding a pickleball tournament in October! For more information, head to the city’s website: Parowan.org.

Parowan City is one of four recipients of the 2024 AARP Community Challenge grant in Utah. The other winners include HEAL Utah, The Road Home, and the Southern Utah Bicycle Alliance (SUBA). Stay tuned for more on the other three projects as they come to life!  

The AARP Community Challenge grant program is part of AARP’s nationwide work on livable communities, which supports the efforts of neighborhoods, towns, cities, and counties across the country to become great places for all residents. AARP believes communities should provide safe, walkable streets; affordable and accessible housing and transportation options; access to needed services; and opportunities for residents to participate in community life.