By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Nearly every morning, Bob Kreienkamp puts on his tennis shoes, picks up his paddle, and heads to the pickleball courts.
“This is his love every morning,” said his wife, Sue, who is not the least bit jealous of her husband’s love affair with pickleball. It used to be softball and golf, but as Bob aged, pickleball was kinder on his knees.
On Monday morning, more than 30 fellow pickleball players surprised Kreienkamp at the Bowling Green Community Center – to thank him for donating $20,000 for one of the outdoor courts proposed at the center.
Kreienkamp was nearly speechless – momentarily.
“Obviously you all know how much I believe in this whole thing,” he said about the outdoor pickleball courts planned on the west side of the community center.
Since the outdoor courts were put in the Bowling Green Parks & Recreation five-year plan, Kreienkamp has been relentless in his pursuit of the missing item to make the project happen – money.
On Monday, he admitted to politely hounding Bowling Green businesses, institutions and individuals for donations. Every event he went to – sports, community gatherings, fundraisers – he approached people with resources to share some for pickleball courts.
Then it was Kreienkamp’s turn. He presented a check for $20,000 to the pickleball effort.
“Bob surprised us,” said Brian Sell, a fellow pickleballer working on the outdoor courts. “It was like, oh my gosh, this might happen.”
Others in the community have stepped up, donating $20,000 per court – the family of Rob Spence, Hartung Brothers pickle company, and most recently VisitBG.
“Literally, Bob is putting his money where his mouth is,” BG Parks & Recreation Director Kristin Otley said.
Otley said the efforts of the pickleball group have been a “welcome surprise.” Many groups come to the parks department with suggestions, but few work so hard to generate funding to make it happen.
“They really stepped up,” Otley said.
It’s more than the sport that Kreienkamp enjoys.
“Pickleball people are really special,” he said. “You’re only a stranger for about two minutes when you go to a new pickleball court.”
Currently Bowling Green residents travel to Perrysburg, Holland and Findlay if they want to play on outdoor pickleball courts.
They would love to play in Bowling Green, but right now the only local courts are inside the community center, in space that has to be shared with many other purposes – youth sports, fitness classes and National Guard activities.
So the local pickleball players served up a proposal for outdoor pickleball courts in Bowling Green. The cost estimate for six courts is about $400,000. The group has raised approximately $270,00 so far, with the city starting the ball rolling with $150,000 in ARPA funding. The parks and recreation department is currently trying for a state capital improvement grant.
Kreienkamp said the pickleball group is aiming big for eight courts, which would allow the site to host statewide tournaments.
Four pickleball courts can fit on one tennis court. The games are shorter, averaging 10 to 15 minutes each. The players cover less space, don’t have to be in great shape to play, and don’t have to be super skilled to enjoy the game.
Thirty to 40 people show up every weekday from 8 to 11 a.m., to play on the indoor community center courts. People don’t need to register – just show up. Beginners are welcome.
The outdoor courts would allow players to gather anytime during daylight hours in the warmer months.
“This will open up the sport to a lot more people,” not just retirees who can play in the mornings, said Ivan Kovacevic, programs coordinator for the parks and rec department.
“Twenty years from now, people will be playing on these courts,” Kreienkamp said.
There are still naming opportunities for families or businesses available through the Parks and Recreation Foundation, ranging anywhere from $200,000 for rights to the whole complex, to $1,500 for names to be displayed on a plaque near a tree or on signage. Smaller donations are also accepted for names on paddle signs, pickleball signs, or donor nameplates to be displayed at the complex.
For more information or to sponsor the pickleball courts, contact Otley at kotley@bgohio.org or by calling 419-354-6225.
