Pickleball players take issue with surface at Adams Township courts
Eric Mosso, a resident of Adams Township, has been an avid pickleball player for three years. He transitioned from playing tennis, a sport he played for 40 years, and he knows which way a ball is supposed to bounce on the court.
For this reason, Mosso steers clear of playing pickleball at the courts closest to his home, at the Adams Township Community Park on Valencia Road. Mosso, as well as other local pickleball players, have taken issue with the surface used for the pickleball courts, which he calls “the worst surface possible.”
“I walk in the park quite often and I rarely see people playing there,” Mosso said. “Once you try it, you’re not coming back, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced player.”
After Mosso learned the township was installing additional pickleball courts at the park, he was disappointed to find they were planning to install the same surface for the new courts.
Mosso said he’s raised the issue with Brian Perry, the parks and recreation director for Adams Township. According to Mosso, Perry told him the contract for the courts was already set in stone and there was nothing he could do.
“Other people I play with were as disappointed in the surface as me,” Mosso said. “They do not consider it as an option to play there.”
The surface, which Mosso calls “sport court,” consists of a grid of squares of synthetic material atop a base of concrete. Mosso said this arrangement leads to both worse games and worse outcomes for players.
“Some of that grid area is nailed to the concrete to keep it from moving around,” Mosso said. “What that does is makes dead spots. There’s a lot of places where the ball won’t bounce.”
According to Perry, the manufacturer of Adams Township’s pickleball surface is Mateflex, a company based in Utica, N.Y. Perry said Mateflex’s solution was chosen for the original four Adams courts before he took office roughly two years ago. However, the township chose the same surface again for the sake of consistency.
“We just like to stay consistent with the products that we do have,” Perry said.
He also defended the surface, saying it was designed to promote safe play in all types of weather.
“It’s built to reduce muscle stress. It helps with grip. It’s durable in all weather, and it’s designed as a safety surface,” Perry said. “We don’t have to close it like other courts would have to during the winter and during rainy days. We don’t have to squeegee it. It stays pretty consistent all year round.
Brian McGaughey, who frequently plays with Mosso, disputes both of these ideas. He said the surface is dangerous in addition to inconvenient.
“It’s really slippery if there’s any moisture whatsoever, because it’s basically a plastic composition,” McGaughey said. “When you’re outside, all sorts of stuff gets stuck inside the grates, whether it’s mulch or grass clippings. It’s not a cleanable surface.”
Adams Township isn’t alone. A community center in Ross Township, in Allegheny County, recently resurfaced its indoor pickleball courts with a similar surface. According to both Mosso and McGaughey, this led to a massive drop-off in players.
“They once had a thriving pickleball league that was completely lost because all the players left for other venues,” Mosso said.
McGaughey witnessed this firsthand when he assisted on a resurfacing project at another community center in Hampton Township.
“We got everybody who used to play at the Ross Community Center when they redid their inside gym,” McGaughey said. “They used the sport court and it's unplayable. It’s just a horrific surface.”
While there are multiple types of surfaces which can be used for pickleball courts — both indoor and outdoor — Mosso and McGaughey advocate for the use of tennis-style hard courts.
“It's a composition, so it has a little bit of a give to it, but it's smooth,” McGaughey said. “You get a true bounce with any ball.”
On March 25, the township accepted a bid from Sarver-based contractor Holbein, Inc. to construct the new pickleball courts, as well as other additions to the community park.
