OAKLEAF – When Eric Stokes and Ben Amponin left for a pickleball tournament at Ormond Beach last week, they decided the drive was too long to come home without a victory.

As winners of the Ormond Beach Senior Games, they face an even longer drive to Zephyrhills for the state championship on Dec. 10-11.

Pickleball has become one of the most-popular sports for seniors, Amponin said. In fact, many of the senior athletes at the state games will be playing a sport that combines tennis and ping pong.

“We moved on, we're going to we're able to play in the Florida Senior Games, the state competition next month Zephyrhills,” Amponin said. “So far, 972 athletes have registered, so the majority of athletes are playing pickleball – more than basketball, more than golf, more than volleyball or track and field. Pickleball is definitely growing in popularity.”

Amponin lives in Oakleaf; Stokes lives on Fleming Island. They practice at Eagle Landing on Fleming Island.

County and city officials have been busy building new pickleball courts or converting tennis courts to keep up with the demand. Amponin said the reason is simple: it’s easy to play, especially for seniors.

“Tennis courts are being used less around the county,” he said. “We're finding that around the county, there's more and more pickleball courts. They're either painting lines or creating lines to play pickleball within the tennis courts. Where I live in Oakleaf, they're going to build out six designated pickleball courts. We used to have two tennis courts and they're converting them into six specific or designated pickleball courts.

“The sport is exploding. It's just very popular. It's easy to learn. It's simple. It's a simple game. It just takes a little time to develop the skills.”

Another regional tournament was played in Jacksonville and those games attracted 50-and-older players from Georgia, Gainesville and Eustis.

“We were determined to not come empty,” Amponin said of the Ormond Beach Games. “We accomplished that. Now we’re setting our sites on Zephyrhills.”