Pickles NE, LLC a new indoor, first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art, climate-controlled pickleball-only complex, announced today the role of Wanda Melampy as co-founder.

Having only been introduced to the sport of pickleball last summer, Melampy and co-founder Lisa DeMeritt met on the courts, discovering a love of the sport and sharing the same observation that there is a definite lack of indoor courts exclusively dedicated to the sport of pickleball in New England. The Pickles concept was born, and the 25,000-square-foot facility is expected to open this spring at 357 Columbia Road in Hanover, with six tournament-sized courts, two dinking kitchens, an upper mezzanine players’ lounge, and an indoor and outdoor refreshment garden. Four outdoor courts will also be added later in the spring.

Prior to co-founding Pickles NE, LLC, Melampy had a nursing career that spanned more than 20 years, primarily in post-anesthesia care. She worked in both small hospitals and large institutions including the Mayo Clinic and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Originally from central Virginia, Melampy and her husband Ron were posted to various locales throughout his military career before settling in Massachusetts. A current resident of Marshfield, Melampy has four children – her oldest son is a Lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard, and her youngest three (two daughters and one son) are triplets attending college at UMass-Boston, Maine Maritime Academy, and the United States Military Academy.

“Working as a nurse, I loved being a part of a team that provides a service to people of all ages and backgrounds,” said Melampy. “Today we are searching for things we all have in common, and for ways to strengthen bonds between people of different age groups and backgrounds. Pickleball offers that same feeling of camaraderie with a range of people, which is in part what draws me to the sport,” she added.

“My experiences have given me a strong foundation upon which to support the Pickles vision, and Lisa and I are in the same seasons of our lives, so there’s a good synergy in our partnership,” added Melampy.

About Pickles NE, LLC

Pickles was founded by Lisa DeMeritt and Wanda Melampy, two women with a passion for the sport of pickleball. After being introduced to the sport and observing its huge following, they identified a need for additional local outdoor courts and an even bigger demand for indoor courts exclusively for the sport of pickleball. Pickles will include a recreational facility providing indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, food service from various food trucks, a café area, and a small retail shop carrying the latest pickleball gear.

Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum as a game the whole family could take part in. Year over year the sport has experienced growth as more people become familiar with pickleball; today, over 5 million people throughout the United States play pickleball, and it has grown 650% over the last five years, making it considered the fastest-growing sport in the world.