New Indoor Pickleball Venue in Mesquite

By JOHN FLEMING

The Progress

In recent years, Pickleball has become one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Not only North America but worldwide, it is a fun and multi-generational sport that is rapidly growing in popularity.

Steve and Becky Lamirand, until 2020, had never heard of Pickleball. They had recently moved to Mesquite, and were touring the Mesquite Rec Center. As they walked by one of the gyms, they observed a game that looked somewhat similar to tennis. The court was smaller, and the players were using paddles instead of rackets and a wiffle ball. A day or two later, they returned to the recreation center, learned a little about the sport, and gave it a try.

It didn’t take long to get hooked. They were soon regulars, enjoyed the game immensely and progressed steadily. They were began competing in regional Pickleball tournaments.

John Sadler, who teaches beginning Pickleball at the Rec Center on Saturday mornings, recognized their potential and said, “You guys should get certified!” Sadler encouraged them both to become instructors.

That started the snowball rolling. After getting their certification as instructors, the Lamirands began to think about how they might become more involved in Pickleball development. They were interested in helping other players to become better at the sport. But other matters – helping people to choose a paddle, creating an indoor facility, especially for evening play or as an escape from the brutal summer temperatures, were all on the list.

While pondering all this – coaching, an indoor venue, and paddle sales – they had their eye on a building at the corner of Mesquite Heights Road and Hardy Way. Originally built to be RV condos, Steve envisioned one of the units being converted to a Pickleball facility. When the unit he had his eye on became available for lease, he and Becky jumped on it, and almost immediately began converting the space to a pickleball court, office and showroom for paddles, clothing and other accessories.

Resurfacing the concrete slab proved to be an arduous project. Steve and his sons, Barrett and Jacob, spent countless hours on the floor. First they used a massive walk-behind grinder to remove the high spots. Then they sealed the floor, painted it, and finally striped the court. The process took weeks.

During renovation, because of the concrete dust, they had to work with the doors open. To contend with the daytime temperatures, they rented a portable evaporative cooler which provided some relief.

At this point, their vision was taking shape. They had become certified instructors. The venue had become a reality. Now all that was needed was an inventory of new paddles.

While Steve and the boys were working on the building, Becky had been contacting paddle, clothing and accessory vendors. New paddles, on hand, would enable both paddle demonstration and sales.
Now all they needed was a name. That was easy: Anytime Pickleball!

The facility has been open since March, and the couple has seen steady growth since the doors opened.

Currently, they are focusing on three primary offerings: paddle demonstration and sales, court rentals, and PPR certified coaching.

Routinely, the paddle shop will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday and by appointment on Friday and Saturday.

Court rental is available by reservation from 6:00 am until 9:00 pm on Tuesdays through Saturdays. Those who rent a court for $25.00 per hour will also be able to test and evaluate a wide variety of demo paddles.

For more information, visit www.Anytimepickleball.net. For court reservations call (702)346.4458.