New Haven Picklers Can Now ​“Dink” Indoors

On a recent afternoon at Pickleville CT, the new Westville indoor pickleball facility along Blake Street and Valley Street near Whalley Avenue, Winny Sanchez was ​“dinking” for the first time in her life. 

The 9,000-square-foot climate-controlled space opened last week as New Haven’s first indoor facility dedicated to the trendy racket spot of pickleball. The brainchild of entrepreneur Harrison Blume, it features three full-size cushioned courts, state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, and a coffee shop.

Its mission, as head pro Will Meng put it during an interview on Tuesday: ​“To bring together people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities through the sport of pickleball.” There are options for monthly memberships as well as walk-ins, according to Meng, a top pickler in New Haven.

“Look,” he said, motioning at Sanchez, who was standing on the inner ​“kitchen line” on Court 2 with instructor Joey Hah, preparing to dink, defined as ​“a soft, controlled shot where players lightly tap the ball over the net,” and if executed properly, among the most devastating shots in the game.

“Stay low, light touch,” Hah was telling Sanchez, a City Point resident, feeding her a ball. It met her paddle, skidding out of bounds toward the couches on the side wall. ​“Ugh,” she said. ​“Keep your grip loose,” he called out. He fed her another. She hit it square across the net. ​“That’s it,” he said. ​“You got it.” 

“There’s the real appeal,” Meng said, amid a cascade of pops and squeals of laughter from a quartet of Quinnipiac University students on Court 1. ​“It’s so satisfying to see people who haven’t been able to play a sport or just find something of enjoyment in a long time to just pick something up in an hour and start playing.” 

With that, Jay Karlins appeared for his lesson. He and Meng headed for Court 3. Karlins, a pickleball enthusiast from Branford, heard about Pickleville CT from his podiatrist, who happens to be Blume’s father. 

“It’s a great workout first of all,” said Karlins, adding he’d lost 15 pounds playing pickleball, as he and Meng worked on adding topspin to his forehand. ​“And it’s different from tennis because you can just show up and as long as you can play a little, you can play with anyone, you can do a foursome or find someone to play singles with.” 

Meng sounded a similar refrain. ​“The big thing about pickleball is it’s social,” he said, as the lively strains of Hall & Oates’ ​“You Make My Dreams Come True” filtered through the mellow-lit space. ​“On a tennis court, you’re 50 feet away from the other person across the net. In pickleball, you’re only 14 feet away for the most part.” That kind of social interaction, he said, ​“is a reason that more people are motivated to stay with it, as opposed to other forms of exercise.”

Statistics back that up. A March 13, 2024 report from pickleheads.com showed pickleball as America’s fast-growing sport, lauded for bringing people together at a time of polarization, with a 223.5 percent growth rate over the last three years and 36.5 million players in the nation.

Blume said a principal part of Pickleville CT’s mission is ​“community building.” There are open plays for different levels of skill throughout the day and free weekly clinics; the coffee shop where ​“people hang out or work on their computers,” he said; and lounge seating alongside the courts. ​“We wanted to make this space comfortable and inviting,” he said.

There are plans for chess and pickleball nights, for programs for underserved youth, as well as a partnership with Chapel Haven Schleifer Center, the Westville residential setting for adults with disabilities learning to live independently, up the road. Blume envisions the facility as an event space for fundraisers, community groups and team building activities, as well as birthday celebrations.

“We’re at the beginning, so yeah, we’re dreaming,” he said, as he watched Sanchez now fluidly dinking with Hah. ​“But look at this place. Think about its potential to become a positive force in the community. It can happen.”