Pickleball Maven Maureen Wagner

The trendy sport helps keep this Cicero retiree active

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

When Maureen Wagner, 64, retired in 2015, she had been playing softball, but a friend invited her to play pickleball at the YMCA the following year.

“I got hooked; it didn’t take long,” Wagner said. “I like the competitiveness of it and I don’t like traditional exercise.”

Who wants to run on a treadmill solo when engaging in a team sport like pickleball can help foster friendships? Certainly not Wagner.

“I’ve met so many people playing pickleball those friendships have led to travel, movies and so many other activities,” she said.

Not long after beginning pickleball, she found herself regularly playing. When she wasn’t playing, she was thinking about the next time she would be playing.

Wagner now serves on the board as co-treasurer of CNY Pickleball, an organization that offers free information on pickleball in the area and organizes matches at Skyway Park in Cicero.

Staying social helps Wagner stay busy and engaged — important for retirees.

When she first retired, she wasn’t sure what to do with her time. She considered taking a part-time job — until pickleball came along. Now she plays five or six times weekly. Some players join in recreationally, as a family activity or to compete. Wagner likes that the social aspect connects people to others.

Wagner also likes pickleball’s physical aspects. She can stay active without aggravating her “bum knee” as long as she wears her supportive knee brace. Similar activities like tennis challenge players as the court is larger and the sport requires more physically.

CNY Pickleball raises funds to help promote the sport through assisting municipalities in establishing pickleball courts.

“It’s a very welcoming group,” Wagner said. “That’s another thing that struck me about it: how willing people are to help you with the game. They’re always willing to show you how to improve and what to do. Otherwise, it can be a little scary when you join a group where people are already connected.”

She added that CNY Pickleball schedules group events to help newer players improve their skills.

In addition, CNY Pickleball hosts fundraisers for nonprofit organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association.

Wagner worked at Syracuse Developmental Center, retiring in 2015 from her role as a habilitation specialist working with people with developmental disabilities. When she’s not playing pickleball, she enjoys golf. The North Syracuse resident is married and has two grown children and one granddaughter.

“My family is very supportive of me playing pickleball,” Wagner said. “When I’m gone and they’re trying to reach me on the phone, it’s always, ‘Let me guess: you’re at pickleball.’”

When pickleball indoor courts closed during the pandemic, Wagner even set up a net to play in the driveway so she could stay active.

CNY Pickleball in Syracuse (https://cnypickleball.com) offers lists of more than 100 places to learn and play pickleball throughout CNY, including community centers, youth centers, YMCAs, public parks and clubs. The list includes indoor and outdoor courts.