By Maggie Mulvihill and Pete Sullivan
If the dog days of August don’t propel you to abandon your well-worn beach chair and do a bit of exercise, let Marblehead’s Dr. Calvin J. Dorsey provide some inspiration.
At 87, the retired physician competes regularly in matches organized by Marblehead Pickleball Inc., a nonprofit organization established in 2024 by a band of enthusiastic local players aimed at encouraging their friends and neighbors to play and build a supportive community around the sport.
Ambling towards the Veterans Middle School pickleball courts last week under a blazing son, the 87-year-old retired surgeon geared up for one of two weekly matches organized by Marblehead Pickleball Inc.
Sporting a purple team shirt, Dorsey is the oldest player on the league’s 80-person roster but a keen competitor. A lifelong golfer, Dorsey said when he heard about a game called pickleball, he was hooked.
“Pickleball was physical, it was active, and it was a competition,” Dorsey said.
The paddle sport, first created in Washington state in 1965 as a children’s backyard game, is a combination of tennis, table tennis and badminton. With unique scoring rules and court lines, pickleball players use smooth-faced paddles and perforated, hollow plastic balls. Teams of two players hit the ball over a 34-inch net until one side cannot return a hit or commit a rule violation.
CURRENT PHOTOS / PETE SULLIVAN
The game’s popularity is exploding. A 2024 report released by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association stated pickleball grew 224% over three years, with U.S. cities and towns building thousands of courts for the 14 million players across the U.S. Prominent athletes like NBA player LeBron James have invested in Major League Pickleball, established in 2021 to spur the growth of professional pickleball teams. The world’s largest pickleball stadium opened in Fort Lauderdale this year. USA Pickleball, an Arizona-based nonprofit which governs the game in the U.S., is partnering with resort company Sandals and Beaches to create unique pickleball Caribbean vacations.
Pickleball organizations now dot the Bay State landscape, though Marblehead appears to be unique in official municipal support for the sport. Marblehead residents Joe McKane, Buck Grader and Bryce Sudyam worked with town officials to help establish 10 dedicated municipal pickleball courts and two multi-use courts with removable nets at the Veterans School or the back of Seaside Park.
There are over 160 permanent courts in Middlesex and Essex counties, said regional district Ambassador Joe Lyman, 81, of West Peabody, who both teaches the game and plays three times a week. Rather than socializing at Dunkin Donuts where the biggest exercise is “lifting a cup of coffee,” pick up your paddle and play, he said.
“With pickleball, you are out there, interacting with other people,” Lyman said. “The comradery and interaction, regardless of your level of play, is one of the biggest benefits of pickleball.”
Marblehead players can reserve a court for free and play with friends or participate in the Marblehead league, which hosts summer matches each Monday and Tuesday. League members are assigned to one of four teams – the Red Hots, Purple Rain, Blue Steel or Green Fury – and match results are posted weekly on Marblehead Pickleball’s website.
The league holds semi-final matches and mid-season outings and celebrations, said Lisa Spinale, the USA Pickleball ambassador for Marblehead Pickleball and an avid player. Spinale began playing during COVID, relishing competing outdoors, meeting new people and spreading the word about the game’s physical and mental benefits. Spinale creates lively reels for the 4,000-plus followers of Marblehead Pickleball’s Instagram account, writes a monthly newsletter and helps organize practices, competitions and fundraisers.
“It’s provided a big outlet for people to get out,” Spinale said. “It gives you a sense of belonging to the community.”
Spinale, along with Marblehead players Kate Dinsmore, Tony Mongiello and Anne Tassel, established the nonprofit organization last year.
Marblehead players are attracted by pickleball’s low learning curve, the abundance of municipal courts, the ability to borrow free paddles and balls from the library and a pair of tennis shoes already at home. Player Melinda Huff got involved by first taking pickleball lessons through
the Recreation & Parks Department. She loves Marblehead Pickleball’s aim of “fostering community” as well as the game’s endorphin-generating nature. The “open and inviting” culture of the Marblehead league is a big draw, added Dinsmore.
“If you move to a new town, look for a pickleball group and you will instantly meet new friends,” Dinsmore said.
An engine for good
Marblehead Pickleball has also evolved into a generous charitable engine, driving support for worthy causes such as January’s donation of 50 high quality paddles to students at Marblehead High School. In April, the organization raised $13,000 for “Fund the Field” during the town’s first pickleball tournament to help pay for lights and turf at the high school’s new outdoor field. Last year, Marblehead Pickleball co-sponsored a fundraiser with Friends of Marblehead Basketball, raising $20,000 for the Heather Walker Fund. The fund honors the life of Marblehead resident and Boston Celtics vice-president Heather Walker, who died of cancer in 2023.
Next up: A Sept. 13 tournament to benefit Girls Inc. of Boston and Lynn. Local businesses donate funds to pay for items needed for regular pickleball matches, such as team shirts identifying competitors on the courts.
Elaine Brown, a longtime golfer and now a pickleball devotee, credits Spinale with Marblehead’s robust player community.
“She is incredibly committed, passionate and a great advocate for us and sport,” Brown said.
Dorsey does caution potential players about injury risks created by playing in improper footwear like “crocs” or becoming dehydrated. Dorsey witnessed one man with a history of a sedentary lifestyle rupturing an Achilles tendon while playing with his wife and daughter.
But reflecting on why he keeps playing, Dorsey said: ‘In pickleball, as in life, go forward not backward.”
Marblehead resident Maggie Mulvihill is a Boston University journalism professor. Peter Sullivan, a former Current intern, is starting his first year in BU’s Journalism program next month.
