Hanford Insider

Hanford Insider: Pickleball Fever is Bringing Communities Together

• Rob Bentley • Season 3 • Episode 3

Share episode

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode!

The fast-growing phenomenon of pickleball has taken Hanford by storm, creating a vibrant community that welcomes players of all ages and skill levels. Our deep dive into this increasingly popular sport reveals why it's captured the hearts of so many—from the exceptional accessibility that allows 13-year-olds to compete with 70-year-olds to the unique social environment that fosters lasting friendships and networking opportunities.

We speak with passionate local players Kurt Nielsen, Ryan Garcia, Cory Allyn, and Alex Heredia about what makes pickleball special. They share insights on the sport's explosive growth since the pandemic, the welcoming atmosphere that distinguishes it from other recreational activities, and the competitive opportunities available through local tournaments. The Hanford Pickleball Club, located at the old YMCA building, boasts what members proudly call "the best courts the Valley has to offer" and provides an accessible entry point for newcomers—offering free first visits, affordable day passes, and equipment for beginners.

Beyond pickleball, we bring you essential community updates including school start dates across Kings County, an interview with Cyndie Maxwell about the Kings Players' upcoming production of "The Odd Couple," and Eric Bentley's comprehensive high school football preview. We also celebrate the Hanford 18U Babe Ruth baseball team's impressive World Series championship in Florida, bringing national recognition to our hometown.

Whether you're a pickleball enthusiast looking to connect with the local scene, a parent preparing for back-to-school season, or a sports fan eager for football predictions and baseball celebrations, this episode delivers the community connections that make Hanford special.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at hanfordinsider.com for the most comprehensive community calendar available, and follow us on social media to stay connected to all things Hanford!

You can find the Hanford Insider at www.hanfordinsider.com and on social media at @hanfordinsider
Thank you for supporting the show!

Speaker 1:

On this episode of the Hanford Insider, we'll take a look at the growing sport of pickleball. Rob will have a community calendar update, then I'll be back with a high school football preview, as well as recognize a World Series title brought home. This is the Hanford Insider for Monday, august 11th.

Speaker 3:

Well, hello Hanford. How's it going? Welcome to the Hanford Insider, your behind-the-scenes look at life in Hanford, california. I'm your host, rob Bentley. This show is all about sharing local stories, highlighting community events and keeping you in the know about what's happening right here in our hometown. It doesn't matter if you've lived here your whole life or you're just getting to know Hanford. This weekly podcast is the place for news, community events, history and maybe a few things you didn't know.

Speaker 3:

So let's get started. It is going to be so hot this week. We're going to start the week in the mid-100s and by the time the weekend rolls around we should be back in the mid-90s. And that air quality. We're all suffering from the wildfires raging throughout California as well, so take care of yourself and check in on those who may live alone or are elderly. Last Friday, the Hanford Joint Union High School District officially opened their new district office, located at the corner of 6th Street and Phillips Street in downtown Hanford, and it looks wonderful. A big congratulations to Superintendent Dr Victor Rosa and all of the district staff on a beautiful new facility. For those of you who've been in Hanford a while, you may remember the building as the former home of the Hanford Sentinel and even before that, prairie Market. The high school has a lot of completed projects to brag about and on next week's show they'll have their chance. I'm going to interview several district administrators about all of the projects that they've completed in the recent months.

Speaker 3:

Speaking of schools, it's back to school week in Kings County and the streets are going to be busy. Please be sure to pay close attention as you're driving around town. Put the cell phone down, please. So here's the lineup of school starts. Hanford Elementary begins on Tuesday August 12th. Hanford, christian, kit Carson and the Pioneer Union Elementary School District begin on Wednesday August 13th and Pioneers welcoming Mr John Raven as their new superintendent. The Kings River and Hanford High School Joint Union School Districts begin on Thursday August 14th and Lakeside School heads back on Monday August 18th. Big shout out to all my teacher friends and students. Have a wonderful year. Well coming up. Later this month we have another fantastic production by the Kings Players, and today we have with us Cindy Maxwell who's going to tell us about the upcoming production of the Kings Players.

Speaker 2:

And today we have with us Cindy Maxwell, who's going to tell us about the upcoming production of the Kings Players. Our next production is the Odd Couple, a tried and true, funny, funny show about two fellas who are polar opposites. We have a messy guy and we have a tidy guy and they happen to live together and they drive each other nuts and it's really funny.

Speaker 3:

So who are the characters playing in this production?

Speaker 2:

Our Oscar is Pepper J. He's known in the Kings County school system. We have Doc Zeke Andre. You've seen him on stage before. He's our Felix. Our pigeon sisters are Rebecca Jensen and Samantha Lynn, and our poker fellas are Murray the Cop, George Stalma, Alipio Lorenzo, Mike Boettcher and Omar Pimentel.

Speaker 3:

That's a great cast.

Speaker 2:

They have really, really good chemistry. They're a lot of fun.

Speaker 3:

When does the show open?

Speaker 2:

We open August 16th that's a Saturday. Our Saturday and Friday shows from then on are at 7 o'clock, our Sunday matinees are at 2 o'clock and we have a last Saturday, which I believe will be the 6th of September, that's also a 2 o'clock matinee.

Speaker 3:

So where's the theater located and where can people get tickets?

Speaker 2:

We're actually in the China district of Hanford. We're on Visalia Street, which is only a block long. We're at the east end of town, right off Main Street. You can get your tickets by going to kingsplayersorg and work on yourself on the computer, or you can call 584-7241, and someone me will help you.

Speaker 3:

Well, that's fantastic. I hope you have a great show.

Speaker 2:

Well, I hope we do too. So far, so good. There's really really great chemistry in this group of people and we're all looking forward to it.

Speaker 3:

Let's take a look at this week's community calendar. Come down to the Thursday Night Marketplace. On Thursday night, as Hanford celebrates its 134th birthday, the music will be provided by the Travis Brooks Trio. Hanford High School football will be holding their Hall of Fame dinner on Saturday, august 16th at the Hanford Fraternal Hall. On Sunday, august 17th, the Hanford Oaks Lodge will be holding a Sunday breakfast from 9 am to 11 am. If you have an event coming up and you'd like some help getting the word out, let's work together. Send your information to hanfordinsider at gmailcom. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a complete calendar of events. It's the most comprehensive community calendar available are available.

Speaker 3:

In case you haven't noticed, the sport of pickleball has become very popular over the last several years and after quite a few trips past the old YMCA watching the Hanford Club play, I thought it'd be fun to talk to a few players to learn more about this outdoor activity sweeping the nation. Joining me on the show today are Kurt Nielsen, ryan Garcia, corey Allen and Alex Heredia. So, ryan, let's start with you. Can you tell us about the sport of pickleball and why it's becoming so popular?

Speaker 4:

Pickleball came out of nowhere during COVID. People needed things to do and I think that's where most of its growth came from. But pretty much every town has it now. Everyone can play with. You know, a 13-year-old can play with a 70-year-old and have a great time. I think that's one of the main reasons it's gotten so popular.

Speaker 3:

And from our conversations earlier, you were telling me it's quite a community and you can travel to another city, another state and you're going to find clubs that are just more than welcome to have people come in and play along. Yeah, yeah that's correct.

Speaker 4:

There's even dedicated apps where you could find the local ports and find what times players are out there to be able to join in on the fun.

Speaker 3:

And I've seen that a lot of the local clubs have special sessions for lessons as well. They do host a lot of tournaments and we're going to talk to Kurt about that in just a minute but there are lots of opportunities for different classes and small groups to go in and work before the tournaments.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, that's correct. Leading up to tournaments, there's a bunch of different events. You can set up things called like round robin tournaments or it's kind of like a tournament setting you kind of get the feel for it. Or you can drill with your friends, just practice your shots. Most people do what we call recreational play, where you just get together with everyone and you mix and match and just have a good time.

Speaker 3:

So, Kurt, let's go to you. How long have you been playing pickleball? About eight years. You've been playing about eight years. And what clubs do you join occasionally? Are you mainly in Porterville or do you travel and go to other places?

Speaker 5:

Well, there's a few private courts. Lately there's Court and Tulare, owned by a farmer. I've been playing there for quite a few months now for quite a few months now. But a lot of us have played at Plaza Park in Visalia, like Ryan mentioned. There's probably what Ryan over 1,500 people on Facebook in that facility. It's huge. There's eight courts and they're always full. It's probably one of the top areas between the Bay Area and LA. To be honest with you, Fresno, Bakersfield, that's getting big also, but for a town of 150,000, Visalia is very well represented.

Speaker 5:

It's just a fantastic sport, the fastest growing sport in America. Maybe you touched on. I've been talking it up for the eight years I've been playing. Younger people are starting to play. Obviously, being a smaller court is tremendous fitness, Very social, because you're sort of close together, Unlike tennis, which is a much bigger court, it's hard to talk over the net. But pickleball, I find it's very social. Men and women can play together and the levels are more apt to group together than, say, tennis. I've been in tennis for 60 years and tennis, I think, is a little bit more. It can be a little bit more snobby.

Speaker 3:

I find pickleball is more welcoming to the wider range of people and it's great to have on the show with us Corey Allen from the Hanford Pickleball.

Speaker 6:

How long have you been playing pickleball in Hanford 2021. I started on 2021, September 2021.

Speaker 3:

And what are some of the things you enjoy about playing pickleball?

Speaker 6:

The camaraderie of the different ages that I play against. I like the sport. It's the variety of ages that is involved with it.

Speaker 3:

So tell me a little bit about the Hanford Club, then A great group of people there at the old YMCA Tell me how things are going there. The courts are beautiful.

Speaker 6:

Oh, thank you, it's going great. It's a membership. Anybody can drop by for free for the first time and then they can play $5 for a day, and if they do want to join the club, it's a membership of $25 a month and you can play every day out there all the time morning, noon and night.

Speaker 3:

Of course the hot summer days those are kind of brutal, but that's when you see out there in the morning or in the late evenings. Tell me about some of the fun things that you get to do that are, you know. Of course there's the sport, but there's a lot. You mentioned camaraderie, so talk a little bit about some of the bonds that you've developed with the people that come out to the courts.

Speaker 6:

You know, like I said, it's a variety of ages. So people just come by, some people like we have our morning group. Those are very steady morning group from 630 to 8, because they're retirees. They come out and play pickleball, do their exercise and then they go home. And then you have people that just come out and play. They play for an hour or two or more until they're tired, they go home and then they're back again in the evening.

Speaker 3:

And I understand you have some tournaments coming up.

Speaker 6:

Yes, we do. We have a tournament at least every third of the month and that's thrown by. He's not very local but he loves to throw this tournament. His name is Tim Fujioka. Everybody loves his tournament. Everybody comes from different towns, different communities, and that's the best part about it is it's how broad it is for people to come out and play and just meet new people, old people, friends that you know haven't seen each other. They all come through with just playing pickleball against each other.

Speaker 3:

And finally, it's a great opportunity to get to talk to Alex Heredia, who is an active pickleball player, and he's also helping organize some of the classes and tournaments here in Hanford. So, alex, our previous guests have told us a lot about pickleball and what makes it special for them. What makes the Hanford Pickleball Club so special?

Speaker 7:

Well, I would say, basically, it's one of those sports where anyone, like no matter what your age or athletic background, can just pick up a paddle and we can paddle black. We have people from all sizes, from ranging from all the ages, and we all just get together and we're just having a blast together. And, uh, one thing that's so cool about that is that it's still competitive, no matter like. You see a bigger guy, you think, oh, I'm so athletic, more athletic than him, I can take him and all of a sudden you just lose to him. Like, you're like what the heck just happened? And that's what makes it so fun. It's like man, but yeah, it's one of those things where it just brings it all together, especially for me.

Speaker 7:

I'm a bigger guy and everyone likes to try to like drop a ball in front of you, lob it over you. It gets tiring. Yeah, it's bad on the, but I would say the camaraderie of all the people that are there, especially in Hanford, where, like, we have our group, our community, and the best way I would say is that the networking. We have people that are realtors, people that are working in insurance, people that are out there with restaurants, food vending, you name it. We have everyone out there and it's just a way for us to get together and connect and support each other. That's one thing I would say is the most important thing about being here at the Hanford Club.

Speaker 3:

And the tournament is bringing a lot of people from out of town. I understand you have a tournament coming up on the 23rd. Let's talk about some of the ways that Pickleball brings people together from all areas of the.

Speaker 7:

Valley. Yeah, I would say it's basically pickleball has exploded, not just nationally, but, uh, just right here in our own backyard, and that's one of the reasons why my wife and I came up with a train tournaments. It's a way to get people together, um, especially from all around the central valley. Um, it's just a nice way to get everyone out there to compete against different styles of players that they're not used to, because, yeah, you're playing with all the same people every day, and then, when it comes to tournament time, you want to test out how good you are, and so what a better way to do it is when we bring people from out there in the Bakersfield, elk Grove, la, sacramento, the coast, you know, fresno and Clovis and all the other smaller cities out here in the area. So it just it's a great way to compete, have fun. Also, uh, earn some nice medals through our A-Train tournaments, uh, which I'm very proud to represent, and you have some nice courts out there too, that they look spectacular.

Speaker 7:

Yeah, I don't want to sound biased, but I would say those are probably the best courts that the Valley has to offer.

Speaker 3:

Oh, that's great. Yeah, this show has been like one big advertisement for Pickleball and I will say that I'm not affiliated with Hanford Pickleball but after listening to our guests I may have to go check it out for myself. But as a beginner I know you have some beginning classes. What about equipment? What do you recommend? If someone's going to come out and get involved, what should they have?

Speaker 7:

Well, the cool thing about going to the club is they provide bottles, the balls. So if you want to see if this is something you're going to be interested in, just bring yourself out there. Bring some good tennis shoes, some good active wear, and we always have a mars yourself out there. Bring some good tennis shoes, some good active wear, and we always have a marshal out there that's ready to go and help the newbies. So if you want to go like I remember my first time I wasn't really ready to go out there, I was in jean shorts, just wanted to ask some questions. They said hop on in. They gave me a paddle. I started playing. I called my wife. I'm like like hey, I'm out here playing. And so she came out and started getting into it and we just never stopped after that.

Speaker 7:

Um, so, yeah, the cool thing is the club does provide paddles. But if you are interested, um, that's when other people will tell you like maybe you want to try this one, they'll lend you their paddle. And there's there's also websites that provide like loaners where you can try those out. Or um, like, for me, I would just go straight to the manufacturers and just buy them. Um, those are for like more of the, the better, higher quality pedals. But you'll, you'll get to know what you want, what you like, what style player player that you are, you know if you want something that's more top spin or something that's more power or something more just finesse, uh, to slow, slow the ball down. But that's all within time. I would say, if you're a beginner, come out, we got everything you need already.

Speaker 3:

So the Hanford Pickleball Club has a very active Facebook page and you can find them on Facebook at Pickleball Hanford and they're also on Instagram. You can find out information about their tournaments and their hours, lots of pictures of people having fun. Their summer hours of play are mornings, monday through Friday, from 6.30 to 10. In the evenings, monday through Friday, 5.30 to 8.30. And on the weekends, on Saturdays and Sundays, from 7 am to 11 am, and you can always stop by and say hi and learn more about pickleball from the great folks there at the Hanford Pickleball Club. I want to thank you guys for coming on the show and sharing with us about pickleball in the San Joaquin Valley and I hope to see you soon at either Plaza Park in Visalia or in Porterville or, of course, in Hanford at the old YMCA building. Guys, thanks for joining us. Thank you, rob.

Speaker 3:

Appreciate it, appreciate it yeah thank you for promoting the sportMCA building Guys, thanks for joining us.

Speaker 5:

Thank you, rob, appreciate it. Appreciate it. Yeah, thank you for promoting the sport having us on and it's such a great sport the people who are playing. I know Ryan. I've known him from the beginning. Nobody loves the game more than him. He's gotten a certification for teaching and he loves playing and tournaments and all. So it's just hard to imagine what a perfect sport is for so many people. So thank you for allowing us.

Speaker 6:

Thank you so much. Hope to see you out there.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, yeah. Thank you for having us on the show. It was nice to. It was nice to talk to you guys over there and and Hanford and talk a little bit about pickleball. It's going to grow over there too, I don't? I'm not sure.

Speaker 6:

And now it's time for Hanford Insider Sports with Eric Bentley.

Speaker 1:

High school football season is here and teams are gearing up in fall practices and week one of games is right around the corner. So here's a quick preview on what to expect as you head out to Neighbor Bowl to cheer on your teams. This season, we'll start with Hanford High, where the Bullpups head into 2025 as back-to-back WYL champs after dominating the league last year. A tough loss to Clovis in the playoffs might have been a tough pill to swallow, but a season to be celebrated nonetheless. The pedigree of the program has still garnered the Bullpups some preseason attention from the local media. But this year the Bullpups will be without many key pieces from last year's impressive squad, including two-way stars Corday Glass and Albert Richardson, as well as quarterback Daniel Gomez, all three of whom are playing college ball this season. Fortunately for Coach Cannon Sanchez and the Bullpups, tavion Patterson and Justin Clark are back on the roster, as the pair of two-way players were a key part of last year's team and will look to fill the void of the graduating seniors, though we'll have to see who will be throwing them the ball. On offense, hanford High gets the benefit of three straight home games to start the season, after being on the road for their first four games last year and the action begins next Friday when Kennedy comes to town. It'll be a much-needed fresh start for Hanford West as Steve Lenz takes over the helm as head coach for the 2025 season. The Huskies, a program that has gone winless the last two years, will get a chance at a turnaround with the 26 years of high school coaching experience in the Central Valley that Lentz brings. Hanford West gets their season started on the road at Fowler and Corcoran before hosting Woodlake for their home opener on Friday September 5th, and Sierra Pacific will look to bounce back in 2025 after last season's 3-7 finish. The Golden Bears suffered a few close non-conference losses early last year and were still 2-3 heading into Tri-County Sequoia League play. However, things didn't quite go their way in league, with the only triumph being the 48-0 win over Hanford West. Triumph being the 48-0 win over Hanford West, coach Ryan DeSantos and Sierra Pacific will also have a new quarterback leading the offense in 2025, but a handful of returners anticipated to emerge in some expanded two-ray roles should give the Golden Bears something to be excited about. The schedule was not kind to Sierra Pacific this season, though I would guess that they're looking to add a home game in late September, because right now they only have three home games total a pair of non-league matchups with Golden Valley on August 29th and Kalinga on September 11th, with the lone league home game being the Clash of the Claws with Hanford West. So mark your calendars for that crosstown matchup on October 30th and a big congratulations due on the Diamond, as the Hanford 18 U Bay-Bruce team went undefeated at their World Series in Florida, taking home the title last week.

Speaker 1:

Game one featured a balanced offensive attack, while Mason Soares earned a player of the game, tossing five innings, striking out eight. As Hanford took down last year's runner-up, wilder Washington 12-2. As Hanford took down last year's runner-up, wilder Washington 12-2. In Game 2, landon Young gave Hanford an early lead over Manassas, virginia, with a two-run home run in the first. On the mound, reese Van Allen and Ethan Barcelos kept the Virginia offense at bay. As the Hanford offense drew seven walks in the game, plus a nice day from Turtle Young at the plate going 2-for-3 propelled Hanford to the 5-4 win. Day from Turtle Young at the plate, going two for three propelled Hanford to the five to four win.

Speaker 1:

The championship game versus Gulf Coast Alabama saw Hanford strike first again, plating two in the first inning to take a two to nothing lead. Alabama would tie the game in the top of the fourth, but Hanford would answer in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three runs and retaking the lead for good. Gage Haston came out of the pen and shut the door, earning the save as Hanford took home the championship, defeating Alabama 6-4. Many players earned individual accolades, as Reese Van Allen was named tournament MVP, manny Souza and Landon Young were named to the All-World Series team, while Isaac Esquivel and Reese Allen were named to the All-Defensive team. The Tri-County team included players from Kings, tulare and Fresno County and were coached by Dalton Silva, Dustin Silva, mike Kelly and Farron Dutra. Another big congratulations to the Hanford 18U Babe Ruth World Series champs. As always, we like to cover as many local sports as we can, so if you have a score report or a story idea, please let us know at hanfordinsider at gmailcom. I'm Eric Bentley and this has been your Hanford Insider Sports Report.

Speaker 3:

Well, that's all the time we have for this week's show. If you enjoyed this podcast and you'd like to show your support, you can go to buymeacoffeecom slash hanfordinsider to make a donation. If you'd like to join the Hanford Insider email list, stop by my website at hanfordinsidercom to sign up for updates. You'll also get an exclusive copy of my newsletter in your inbox each week. I also need your help getting the word out about the show by liking and sharing on social media or telling a friend For more information about the show. You can find this podcast on Facebook, instagram, threads X and YouTube at Hanford Insider. If you have a show idea, be sure to email me at hanfordinsider at gmailcom and I'll look into it. Thanks for listening. Stay cool and have a great week.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Rob Bentley

Host