Is there room for a new racket sport in Colorado? Here’s where to play padel

It s unlikely that any racket sport is going to squash pickleball but one is increasing in popularity and there are new places to play in Colorado In America padel is just starting to get on the map disclosed Colleen Campbell coordinator of the padel project at Parker Racquet Club which was the first place to introduce the sport to Colorado in Pickleball is saturated Padel is the fastest-growing sport in the world Padel originated in Mexico in the s and then became popular in Spain and around Europe It s taken hold in Florida and is now expanding across the United States A June document by Playtomic an app for racket sports estimated that in about million people played padel worldwide This year padel courts both indoors and outdoors are opening in Denver Aspen and Boulder Similar to squash padel is played with walls around the court but these walls are made of thick tempered glass creating a see-through roofless cube on outdoor courts The floor of these courts is a combination of artificial turf covering silica sand giving the ball and your feet a soft little bounce And as the name implies the championship is played with a thick paddle not a racket Padel is played over a net uses tennis balls and is scored like tennis The meeting typically requires four people Players play padel at Parker Racquet Club in Parker Colorado on Tuesday July Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post I think the advantage of padel against tennis or pickleball is that it s more athletic and more social noted Manuel Quiroz who coordinates padel at the Parker Racquet Club It s easy to learn and hard to master It s fun and dynamic and another way to be competitive He also called the sport addictive and hard not to like Use your brain At the Aspen Meadows Racquet Sports Center Jose Carlos Rubia the head pro and general manager of Wynwood Padel in Miami was giving lessons one day last month Players learn to let the ball hit the glass wall before hitting it unlike tennis where a ball past the line is out This critical difference is a brain workout too You have to react backwards to go forwards Campbell explained It s fun to play off the glass and it s good for my brain Alex Rebeiz owner CEO of Cascades Tennis LLC the management company that runs the center noted As a racket sports management company we are invariably looking to identify new and upcoming trends to provide to our clients Rebeiz noted that they are bringing padel pros from South Africa Croatia and other locales to lead events on the court this summer One of the newest places to play padel is at Cloud Park at CO in Denver You can rent the equipment on site and make a reservation through the Aspen Padel Club website and it s free during off-peak hours There is one court for four players outside a vending machine to rent the rackets will soon be operational Scot Johnson plays padel at Parker Racquet Club in Parker Colorado on Tuesday July Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post Evan Brown founder of the Aspen Padel Club and the visionary behind the court at Cloud Park gets excited when he talks about it possibly being the first free padel court in the country I want padel to be accessible and I think it s great that space was set aside here rather than for another building to let people come together to play Brown commented If you want to try it At the Parker Racquet Club the padel court is outside While it s open year-round Quiroz announced that the courts are closed when it s raining or snowing The club is open to the constituents and offers memberships to play pickleball tennis or padel Costs vary for members or guests and play can include a lesson There are men s women s and mixed shuttle plays as well as leagues Other places to play Padel Haus Denver is expected to open in the late summer or early fall with five indoor courts in the RiNo neighborhood encouraging year-round play There are already Padel Haus locations in New York Atlanta and Nashville The site will offer member and non-member court time The Racket Social Club which also has locations in Texas and Georgia in Englewood has open play reservations that depend on skill level Smash Padel in Boulder has a free introductory class then member and non-member rates that fluctuate based on whether a lesson is included or it s a peak court time The Aspen Meadows Racquet Sports Center is open to the inhabitants for lessons and play time May through early October depending on the weather Players play padel at Parker Racquet Club in Parker on Tuesday July Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post I feel that clients who have played racquetball or squash in their past with a complement of tennis have been more eager to try padel stated Rebeiz We also have a large international clientele who play it in their respective country so it s a bonus for them to see the sport available here in Aspen Related Articles Backcountry rescues on pace to tie or break records in parts of Colorado Venerable Boulder camping skiing and mountaineering shop will add used gear sales this fall PHOTOS Mighty Argo Cable Car gondola towers installed above Idaho Springs great paddleboarding spots across Colorado First responders search Chatfield Reservoir for missing paddleboarder Padel could be coming to a city near you soon Olympus Padel is scheduled to open in Colorado Springs in September and Padel Haus in Denver s RiNo neighborhood will be opening this year The challenge for the padel society is to get the sport known reported Quiroz Ninety percent of people in the United States don t have any idea what padel is and they need to get to know the sport The wave is right now Subscribe to our weekly newsletter In The Know to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox