The seeds of the Union County Pickleball Association were planted in a small group of active aging adults who spend most of their time in Eastern Oregon including our winter months which are not known for their balminess.  We began playing in 2018 at our local Country Club on the abandoned tennis courts.  We were allowed to paint lines on the courts as they were rarely being used for tennis. We applied to USA Pickleball and received a grant for $250.00 with which we purchased 2 nets.  We maintained a small contingent of loyal players for a couple of years, but could only play on moderate weather days with light winds.  After the pandemic we became aware of a vacated elementary school with a gym which was available for rent for certain days of the week, so in November of 2022 we took the leap and began renting the gym for play during the winter. We went back to USA Pickleball who granted us another $250.00 for developing an additional place to play and this time it was only enough to purchase one pickleball net. 

 

We started with 21 people the very first day and by the end of April we had 110 people on our list who had come through the gym to play pickleball.  Our group has changed as with any group but in January of 2024, we decided to get serious about forming a legal entity to provide ourselves with insurance and to continue to promote pickleball by developing additional places to play.  We have now formed a non profit corporation are on our way to applying for tax exempt status so we can continue to bring pickleball to people of all ages in Union County.  We still have a solid contact group of about 120 people and a very active core group of 50 people who are ardent participants and supporters of the sport! 

 

We have been unable to expand our membership because of limited hours and availability of courts, but now we feel we can expand our membership through outdoor play at Eastern Oregon University and additional options for courts in our community.  We are ready to launch Union County Pickleball Association. Our objective this summer is to plan, host and develop pickleball events not only for our local citizens of all ages, but to attract players from around our region to  La Grande to discover another recreational opportunity here in Eastern Oregon!