Equinox members in New York City are forming lasting connections while rallying on the pickleball court.
Always ahead of the curve in the fitness world, Equinox first introduced pickleball to a small group of members in New York City in 2020. This was well before it became one of the most popular sports in America, with participation more than doubling in the last three years. The initial clinics at Sports Club had promising results, bringing together about 60 people.
After the pandemic, which halted efforts to get the racket sport off the ground, the Equinox team was ready to bring pickleball back for members — and keep it here for the long haul. They invested in paddles, nets, and balls, booked open-play times on the weekly schedules at the Sports Club and East 61st Street locations, and established WhatsApp groups for members to connect.
The initial turnout was small. But once word got out about the drop-in offerings, the news spread like wildfire, says Charles Jackson, the complex sports manager for the two locations. Today, more than 200 members are a part of each Club’s dedicated WhatsApp pickleball chats and are forming bonds on and off the court.
Inside Equinox’s Pickleball Offerings
Equinox holds open-play sessions daily on the East 61st Club’s basketball courts, which have been retrofitted with paint to double as six pickleball courts. Over at Sports Club, members play six days a week on three basketball-slash-pickleball courts, designed with the help of some tape strategically placed on the wooden floor. The Clubs offer lessons for newbies and players looking to sharpen their skills.
Though the wooden flooring isn’t standard court material, members have mentioned it feels easier on the legs compared to playing on concrete, says Jackson. Otherwise, the courts are up to regulation standards; they all meet the official dimensions and, at the recently refreshed East 61st Street location, were designed with an engineer to ensure no side is “better” than the other, whether it be due to a nearby wall that messes with their game or some other small but significant design flaw, adds Joe Cavuoti, the Club’s general manager.
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“It’s not some makeshift thing. It's really well done,” he says. “The balls are high-quality. The paddles are high-quality. Everything that we stand for as a brand, that's what we wanted to bring to the sport. That’s what we do for all the sports, too — soccer, volleyball, and basketball. We use all of the top-level equipment.”
Members also have the opportunity to flex their skills in tournaments held roughly every quarter. The competitions alternate between mixed doubles, men’s and women’s doubles, and singles, and they’re open to members of any Club — not just the two pickleball locations. In recent tournaments, the final-round participants have been a mix of members from both Sports Club and East 61st Street, creating an exciting rivalry dynamic, says Jackson.
Finding Community through Pickleball
The solid turnout stems, in part, from the fact that the Equinox courts are one of the few places to play indoors in New York City — a perk that’s particularly valuable during the harsh winter months and humid summer days, says Jackson.
But the popularity largely comes down to the relationships pickleball has created, he adds. “It’s easy to learn, it's easy to master, it's easy to play,” he says. “Specifically here at East 61st Street, we have stands at the basketball court where people can sit and relax until it's their turn to play. I think the members love the social aspect of it, and I think that's helped the growth of the sport [at the Clubs].”
The community starts in the WhatsApp groups. Members will drop messages to see who’s coming in that day and schedule matches. To encourage conversations and connections in the Clubs, the open-play sessions are held using the customary stacking system; members place their paddles in a stack of four, bringing together best friends and strangers alike. The next time a court clears off, the foursome takes over. Sometimes, basketball and squash players will see the action on the courts and head over for a pickleball match after wrapping up their own games, says Jackson.
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With many of the same members rocking up to open play each week, friendships form naturally — something East 61st Street member Leila Benn has experienced herself. Last spring, Benn, a newfound empty nester, began searching for hobbies to fill her time and get her out of the house, an alternative to dinners and happy hours. She picked up a paddle for the first time in May and began rallying at Equinox a few months later, typically hitting the courts before and after work one day a week and on the weekends.
In just over a year, Benn has made such strong friendships within the community, she’s already attended a pickleball camp with one member and visited the Hamptons with another.
“I've lived in New York for 18 years, and I tell my friends and family, this is the best way I've ever met people in New York,” she says. “It's so social, like, you're sitting there waiting to play for 15 minutes or something, you just start talking to the people next to you. Even during the game, it's a little bit less strenuous than tennis, [so] you get to introduce yourself…You don't have, like, an angle. We all love [pickleball] so much and want to play as much as possible, so it gives you something else to talk about.”
To Jackson, “that's one of the beauties about Equinox — you can kind of find your community in a sports club arena. Whether it's strength training or group exercise, whether it's Pilates, yoga, basketball, volleyball, pickleball, soccer, there's so many different communities that you can find yourself in.”
Photos Courtesy of Charles Jackson