Popular Pickleball Courts Coming To Tampa

Have you noticed more chatter about pickle ball.

It's a fun recreational sport, and it's gaining popularity around the country and in Tampa Bay, as well. It's a game that is easy to learn, fun for all ages, and not incredibly expensive.

You can find pickleball courts in Tampa at Julian B. Lane, Cuscaden Park and Madison Park. Now there are also 14 pickleball courts at Tampa Parks & Recreation centers.

And the plan for 2023 is to add even more pickleball courts in Tampa. They'll be 26 spread out around Copeland Park, Williams Park, MacFarlane Park, Highland Pines Park, Al Barnes Park, Vila Brothers and New Tampa Park.

Mayor Jane Castor spoke on the sport. She said, “Pickleball is incredibly popular here in Tampa, and provides so many great opportunities to exercise, while working on agility and balance. People of all ages can easily take up the game and it’s simple to learn, especially if you ever played badminton or tennis. We can’t wait to see the public out enjoying these new courts.”

Sherisha Hills is Director of Tampa Parks & Rec. She said, “Whether you’re a beginner who just wants to learn a new sport for fun, or you’re an experienced pickleball player, this sport offers something for everyone.”

Even some world-famous athletes have gotten in on the pickleball action. Lebron James, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady have made investments in Major League Pickleball teams.

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I've lived in Florida my entire life, but there are still some cities that I don't properly pronounce.

I went to elementary school in Dunedin so I know how to say that, but Thonotosassa always throws me. Here's a short list of city names that might even throw off Florida natives.

This city is in the northwestern part of the state is actually not too hard to say correctly. It's at the mouth of the Apalachicola River, and while it looks like a mouthful, it's actually pronounced phonetically. Instead of Coca Cola, it's App-uh-lach-uh-cola.

Are you done eatin'? That's kind of how you say Dunedin. It’s pronounced, “duh-NEE-dn.” (As opposed to Doon-uh-din, which I've heard people say. Beautiful beaches in the Pinellas County city...and restaurants, too, so you never have to be done eatin'.

Here's how you say this city south of the bay area down near the Everglades: “uh-MAA-kuh-lee.” I used to cover high school football down there. They have some amazing athletes who've gone on to play in the NFL.

I love going to Disney World and visiting Kissme. No! That's not how you say it. It's “Kuss-IM-mee." Emphasis on the "im."

This city is near the Alachua-Marion County line in north-central Florida. It’s situated in the middle of Gainesville and Ocala. You say: “mik-I-NOH-pee.”

Even reading this, I still can't say it the right way...it's like I have a mental block against it (the same way I can's say "Apocalypse." You say: “Tho-no-ta-SASS-a.”