Carson, Calif. – It's the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., but this week Play pickleball reached an even greater height with the legendary Goodyear Blimp – namely 1,500 feet.
On Wednesday, a match between pros Anna Leigh Waters, Catherine Parenteau and Jay Devilliers took place in the airship flying over Carson, California.
And in a sign of a new height for the aircraft itself, the blimp will provide aerial coverage of Sunday's Professional Pickleball Association Tour finals in San Clemente, Calif., the first time the sport has received the Goodyear blimp treatment.
“We basically invented aerial sports coverage,” said Taylor Deen, a Goodyear Blimp pilot for 12 years.
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Over the years, the Goodyear Blimp was part of the U.S. Navy's defense team in World War II and was christened by aviation icons such as Amelia Earhart and Sally Ride. And it has even sent distress signals about natural disasters, such as Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
But it wasn't until 1955 that a new era marked the fleet. With the advent of television, Goodyear became the first aerial platform to televise a live event when it flew over the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
And when the first Superbowl began on CBS in 1967, the blimp was there.
“We fly over all the biggest events,” Deen said. “…Super Bowls, NASCAR, World Championships, Stanley Cup, NBA Finals. So when we’re there, it’s usually a pretty big event.”
Now a new game has been added to the roster.
“I took the airship. I’ve seen it at sporting events,” said 16-year-old Anna Leigh Waters, the No. 1 pickleball player in the world. “…I've always thought that when the Goodyear Blimp comes along, your sport has somehow made it. So I think pickleball has made it now.”
According to a report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, exercise has become a huge success since the pandemic. In 2022, 8.9 million people in the USA will play it.
“It just exploded,” Waters said. “So I was really happy to be a part of it because when I started playing I was 10. And now I'm 16. So I've kind of grown with the sport.”
Pioneers on the field and in the air elevated the game to “airship-ready” status.
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