I believe your recent article on pickleball missed a few essential points. Former UO tennis coach Buzz Summers is paraphrased as saying that pickleball, “requires more strategy than tennis” and that you can win in tennis by simply “overpowering” an opponent.
I do not understand why it was necessary to falsely denigrate tennis in order to promote pickleball. I do not see any improved tennis courts in Eugene due to pickleball. I have seen the four courts at Westmorelend rendered unplayable at the cost of $30,000.
Tennis is a sport that develops and maintains a broader range of flexibility and aerobics. It’s not uncommon for a player to run more than a mile during a single match, though in more extreme cases and in five set matches, players have run more than five.
The footwork and body movements involved with tennis might not be for 80 year-olds like Summers, but he should not write off the sport for kids and those younger who might want to play a sport that challenges their bodies more and for which there are high school teams and college scholarships.
I understand that pickleball is a great thing for people like Summers and seniors and others with mobility issues who can no longer handle the rigors of a full-court tennis match or the time involved in learning tennis. It’s a great sport for retirement communities to get people moving and rotating their bodies.
James Tily
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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