37 Trial Lawyer • Spring 2022 my shoulder. I had shoulder surgery in college and it is a bit cranky at times but works great for pickleball because the serve is underhand. The next big thing Pickleball is supposed to be the fastest growing sport in America. While it is very popular, it can be hard to find courts to play. Most the courts are in suburbs (Vancouver, Lake Oswego, Wilsonville, Tualatin, Raleigh Hills). There are no dedicated outdoor or indoor courts in Portland (with the exception of a few tennis clubs that have added hours for pickleball with lines on a tennis court – and many tennis players do not like the noise from the ball/paddle and the laughter). New courts were recently completed in Clackamas at a sports center called RECS. Portland Tennis Center is supposed to be adding lines to four of its outdoor tennis courts (making 16 pickleball courts). The courts will catch up with the interest but so far it is not easy. I really enjoyed the outlet of playing, wanted to be able to play more, and disliked driving 45 minutes each way to play, so I began hunting for a place to buy to put in a court. During COVID, when everything was shut down, it was even harder to find a place to play. In January 2021, I found a building and I bought it in February 2021. It was an old pawn shop on Martin Luther King Blvd. in Northeast Portland. It had been renovated by George Morlan Plumbing for a showroom (COVID hit and George Morlan got out of its lease). My first move was to put in a court inside (it had a concrete floor so I just needed to have it surfaced) so we could play right away. Then I worked on everything else. The parking lot is large, so I worked on adding a court outside — and ended up putting in two. The outdoor courts were finished at the end of last summer. I hope to be able to hold community clinics and events this summer outside. Celebrating pickleball Some people, including my partner Helen White, think I am a bit pickleball obsessed. It’s true. But it has helped keep me moving, kept me sane and brought joy to my life. We have jobs that can be stressful and I am grateful I have found a new way to get exercise and have fun. Pickleball has taken me to new locations, introduced me to new people and provided me with an amazing outlet. I highly recommend it to anyone who is willing to try. Jane Paulson specializes in plaintiff’s personal injury, medical malpractice and product liability law. She contributes to OTLA Guardians at the OTLA Stalwart level. Paulson is a partner in the firm Paulson Coletti, 1022 NW Marshall St., Ste. 450, Portland, OR 97209. She can be reached at jane@paulsoncoletti.com and 503-226-6361.
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