A group at Westgate plays pickleball regularly.
Pickleball is sweeping the nation and courts are popping up everywhere as are complaints from non-enthusiasts about the noise, tennis court use and out-of-town players parking in neighborhoods.
Susan Zehnder lives in the Dranesville District and she's been leading the charge to keep the courts at Westgate Park and Linway Terrace as is. She says there aren't many courts in that immediate area and there aren't many tennis players either, so taking away the courts to put in a field, potentially a soccer field, is not a good plan. More importantly, she said, the county isn't looking out for the 55 and older residents.
It’s all about the paddles.
"We feel like the county doesn't care about people 55 and older," Zehnder said. Her petition has been signed by a little over 100 people so far.
Zehnder's efforts to reach out to the county and the park authority have gone unanswered, including Dranesville District Supervisor James N. Bierman Jr. When she emails his office, she gets the computer-generated response. "I haven't gotten a real response," she said.
Over at the Dranesville Supervisor’s office, they did get word of Zehnder's pickleball court efforts and contacted the correct park authority board member, said outreach coordinator Ben Wiles. The park authority reached out to Zehnder, but the answer may not have been the one she was hoping for.
Fairfax County Park Authority is sticking with the plan that is part of the Tysons Park System Plan approved in 2014. According to their current plan, the two pickleball courts at Westgate would be removed and replaced with a rectangle field and the courts at Linway Terrace Park will be relocated since they were the subject of noise complaints from the surrounding community; the courts are within the 200 feet of existing residences.
FCPA spokesperson Ben Boxer did note that “there are no imminent actions planned at either site at this time,” he said, and Fairfax County Public Schools is moving forward with pickleball courts at Mason District Park as well as realigning the tennis and pickleball court at Wakefield Park.
FCPA increased pickleball capacity from 28 courts in 2021 to 88 courts by 2024.
Fairfax County is keeping up with the sport’s popularity. According to the park portion of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors presentation dated Oct. 18, 2024, FCPA increased pickleball capacity from 28 courts in 2021 to 88 courts by 2024.
The pickleballers wrote a letter to Chairman Jeff McKay advocating to convert tennis courts to pickleball courts. They wanted pickleball courts in Nottoway Park in the Providence District. They stated that this sport has grown by 158 percent and urged Fairfax County to support pickleballers on the level that Fairfax City does. They claimed that Fairfax City converted an asphalt court to multiple pickleball courts for $100,000. "We are sure Fairfax County Board of Supervisors would be able to find the resources to convert the two tennis courts adjacent to Nottoway Park Office to six dedicated pickleball courts," they wrote.
Pickleball Ambassadors
Helen White is a pickleball aficionado in Northern Virginia whose influences ranged from Burke, where she was the Director of Pickleball at the Burke Racquet and Swim Club, to the founder of Pickleball for Life, a company immersed in the sport. Her title now is the official Pickleball Ambassador in this area. She’s aware of the controversy at Westgate and has dealt with a few other similar pickleball situations, namely Walter Reed Park in Arlington and another park in Annandale.
The Westgate Park is far back enough that noise wouldn’t be a factor but parking might be at prime pickleball hours. “During game times there would be parking issues,” she said.
The title "Pickleball Ambassadors," sounds like it was born in Washington, D.C. but this is the term "USA Pickleball," assigned this volunteer position. "The main prerequisite is a love of the sport and the desire to share our game with others of all ages," it says on the USA Pickleball website.
Virginia is in the Mid-Atlantic division, monitored by Regional Director of Ambassador Engagement Nick Perez and Regional Director of Tournament Operations Carlos Morales. There are 12 regions across the country.