Pickleball opponents seek noise relief

IS BECOMING A BIT TOO MUCH. PICKLEBALL IS ON A ROLL. FROM ITS HUMBLE BEGINNINGS IN 1965, IN A BACKYARD IN WASHINGTON STATE, PICKLEBALL HAS BECOME A JUGGERNAUT, CELEBRATED AS THE FASTEST GROWING SPORT IN AMERICA. YOU CAN’T HOLD ME, BUT SOME FOLKS WITH HOMES NEAR OUTDOOR COURTS HAVE A DECIDEDLY SOUR TAKE ON THE PICKLEBALL PHENOMENON. SINCE 2021, WHEN THIS WENT IN, IT’S BEEN, UM, JUST A BATTLE ABOUT THE NOISE, KIM LOGUE OF MANCHESTER BY THE SEA SAYS THE NOISE FROM THE COURTS ACROSS THE STREET STARTS IN THE MORNING AND GOES ALL DAY. HONESTLY, YOU MAY THINK I’M CRAZY. I’VE ALWAYS HAD PERFECT BLOOD PRESSURE UP UNTIL LAST YEAR, AND NOW I’M ON MEDICATION. I CAN’T SAY IT’S FROM THAT, BUT I THINK IT CONTRIBUTES TO IT. LOGUE’S COMPLAINTS ABOUT PICKLEBALL NOISE FELL ON DEAF EARS UNTIL SHE FOUND PICKLEBALL NOISE RELIEF. A FACEBOOK SUPPORT GROUP CO-FOUNDED BY ROB MASTROIANNI. IF YOU’RE LIVING WITHIN 150FT OF THESE COURTS, IT’S TRAUMA. MASTROIANNI IS ON A MISSION. HE’S TRAVELED THOUSANDS OF MILES IN HIS VAN TO COUNSEL AND ADVOCATE FOR FOLKS AFFECTED BY PICKLEBALL NOISE. HE CONCEDES IT’S A DAVID VERSUS GOLIATH SITUATION. THERE’S SO MUCH MONEY, THERE’S SO MUCH, UH, EQUIPMENT. UM, IT’S BIG BUSINESS. IT’S BIG. PICKLEBALL IS WHAT IT IS. SO IT’S THE LITTLE GUY, UH, AGAINST BIG PICKLEBALL. MASTROIANNI BRINGS HIS TRUSTY RECORDING EQUIPMENT TO HELP GIVE HOMEOWNERS HARD DATA TO USE IN THEIR NEGOTIATIONS WITH TOWN OFFICIALS. THE RED LINE IS IS HOW WE LIKE TO MEASURE PICKLEBALL. POPP MASTROIANNI CONSIDERS HIMSELF SOMETHING OF A SURVIVOR. HE AND HIS WIFE SOLD THEIR FALMOUTH HOME TO ESCAPE THE NOISE FROM A NEARBY PICKLEBALL COURT. MY WIFE AND I, MY FAMILY, WE HAD ENOUGH. WE PUT THE HOUSE UP FOR SALE THAT WAS OUR ONLY OPTION. YEAH, EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF PICKLEBALL NOISE. USA PICKLEBALL REPRESENTATIVES SUE CARNEVALI AND JOE LYMAN CONTRASTS THE SHARP SOUND OF A REGULAR PADDLE WITH A MORE MUTED SOUND OF ONE OF THE NEWER, QUIET PADDLES. IT’S MORE OF A THUMP, AS OPPOSED TO A CRACK, BUT ADOPTION OF THE NEW QUIET PADDLES MADE BY ALS SPORT HAS BEEN SLOW, IN PART BECAUSE THE POPP IS SO MUCH PART OF THE GAME PLAYING AGAINST AN HOUR PADDLE IS DIFFICULT FOR ME BECAUSE I GO A LOT ON IF I HEAR A NICE HARD SOUND. I KNOW THAT BALL IS WHIPPING AT ME PLENTY. GETTING AN OWL PADDLE AGAINST ME LIKE I CAN’T REALLY DETECT SO WELL HOW FAST THAT BALL IS COMING IN, AND THEN HOW TO RESPOND AT THESE PICKLEBALL COURTS IN BEVERLY SOUND CURTAINS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED TO MITIGATE THE NOISE FACTOR. SOUND PANELS HAVE ALSO RECENTLY GONE UP IN BRAINTREE, WHERE NEIGHBORS HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING FOR YEARS. IT’S 13 HOURS A DAY OF NONSTOP PINGING AND POPPING. I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO OPEN MY WINDOWS FOR TWO YEARS. MIKE MIKE LEE LOVED GROWING UP IN HIS FAMILY’S HOME. BY HOLLIS FIELD. THE SOUND OF THE PLAYGROUND AND KIDS PLAYING SPORTS, A JOYFUL NOISE NOT SO THE RELENTLESS POPP OF PICKLEBALL. I HAVE TO USE EARBUDS, MUSIC, AND I HAVE TO KEEP MUSIC ON THE FRONT PORCH JUST TO WATCH TELEVISION ON THE INSIDE. UH, BECAUSE IT KIND OF BLOCKS SOME OF THE NOISE. THE NEW SOUND CURTAINS HAVE BROUGHT THE SOUND LEVEL DOWN TEN DECIBELS. ACCORDING TO ROB MASTROIANNI’S MEAT EATERS. SO WE’RE GETTING UP TO 80 RIGHT HERE. SO 80DB IS THAT WE’RE GOING FROM A LAWN MOWER TO A GARBAGE DISPOSAL. IT’S DECREASING IT, BUT NOT ENOUGH. BUT WITH TENS OF THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUAL HITS, A DAY, RELIEF CAN BE ELUSIVE. PICKLEBALL IS POPP IS A GUNSHOT’S LITTLE BROTHER. IT’S A NOISE THAT IS CREATED THAT COMES TO A PEAK IN TWO MILLISECONDS. JUST LIKE ON FIRE AND THIS IS THE WATER TORTURE THAT PEOPLE TALK ABOUT. SO MAYBE YOU BRING THE LEVEL DOWN. IS THAT GOING TO HELP? NOT WHEN YOU HAVE 50,000 HITS. MAYBE YOU’RE CHANGING THE FREQUENCY. IS THAT GOING TO HELP? NOT WHEN YOU HAVE 50,000. SO IT’S STRESSFUL. IT’S UH, I’M OLD AND IT JUST GETS ON YOUR NERVES AFTER A WHILE. IT’S SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. YOU HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO A RAINY DAY. AND THAT DOESN’T EVEN STOP THEM. ALL RIGHT, SO WHAT’S THE SOLUTION? ROB MASTRIANNI SAYS THAT PICKLEBALL COURTS SHOULD BE AT LEAST 250FT AWAY FROM THE NEAREST HOME, AND HAVE SOUND BAFFLING OF SOME KIND. THEY SHOULD BE 500 TO 600FT AWAY AT THE LEAST. IF THERE’S NOT SOME KIND OF NOISE MITIGATION. YEAH, AND MASTRIANNI MANAGED TO GET A COURT INJUNCTION TO SHUT DOWN THE PICKLEBALL COURTS NEAR HIS FORMER HOME