FAPA serves up success for pickleball community
"People step forward and they do things to bring people together for the good of their community." — Char Kahler, local pickleball player
Trending
FAIRMONT - The new Fairmont Area Pickleball Association (FAPA) is serving up pickleball opportunities for Fairmont and the surrounding communities.
FAPA President Craig St. John, who has played pickleball for five years said, "It feels good that we have our different groups that formed over the years combine now into one solid core group. That's a major accomplishment and we are happy that happened."
St. John cited a need for a unified group of pickleball players in the community. FAPA was established just in the past few weeks. It strives to promote a strong pickleball community through recreational and competitive play, community events, instruction and advocacy for accessible indoor and outdoor pickleball courts for all players. FAPA was officially incorporated on Sept. 21.
"To give the pickleball players in the area a voice, with the city's decisions going forward on indoor and outdoor pickleball courts. Give the local players a voice, to be heard by interested parties, either private companies that may want to bring in pickleball or the city or county that want to do something with pickleball," St. John further explained.
"I applaud it," said FAPA Founding Committee Member Char Kahler, who has played pickleball for more than a decade. "I love to organize people to join in and have fun doing different activities, and pickleball being one of those. It makes me feel wonderful to have that going and the people that are coming alongside Craig to make it happen."
FAPA has grown to have more than 60 members who communicate to determine when and where to play. Members have been getting together, often playing pickleball at Veterans Park in Fairmont, Fairmont Elementary School and more.
"It's active, it’s social, it's challenging, and it's just very fun to meet all the new people that you play with. You play with all levels and you become friends over pickleball," said FAPA Secretary Tari Brandt, another pickleball player.
On Aug. 24, the Fairmont City Council unanimously approved moving forward with construction plans for pickleball courts at the Fairmont Soccer Complex-Jeffery Kot Fields. In addition, Welcome recently introduced pickleball courts at Hansen-Keck Park.
"I'm encouraged by the possibility of more pickleball courts at the soccer field," St. John shared.
"It's promising that they're doing that; an outdoor court is fantastic. It serves a different purpose than an indoor facility, and I know all the people I play with would also love to see an indoor facility so we can play year-round," Brandt said.
While still in its first year, FAPA would like to create networks of pickleball players everywhere, play at different locations and welcome members from Martin County, Faribault County, Iowa and beyond.
"We'd really like it to be a four to five-county organization reaching all the towns within reasonable driving distance," St. John explained.
FAPA has both goals and plans up its sleeve. These include having 100 members by the end of the year, offering pickleball clinics, organizing two leagues and offering one youth introduction to pickleball event. To involve youth, FAPA looks to collaborate with Fairmont Area Schools physical education classes and incorporate pickleball in the sports rotation.
"I'm thrilled with the group that has taken this on to build it into a bigger, more wonderful thing by including more people, finding out more people that are involved or would like to be involved and joining in the fun. It's a very rewarding thing for me to see how that's how we make fun in our community, people step forward and they do things to bring people together for the good of their community," Kahler said.
"There's so many reasons to play pickleball. There's too many to even name. It's a community. Pickleball is a community," Brandt said.
Membership applications for the 2026-2027 years are open. The membership application form includes applicant information, membership category (individual-$25, youth-free, household-$40), additional household information, pickleball experience, areas of interest and more. The community can support the FAPA by becoming a member, volunteering and sharing ideas.
"I encourage further membership, it's a show of force and a commitment and proof to decision-makers in the city and private investors that there is indeed enough pickleball players in town, and more to follow, if the facilities are available," St. John said.
The official FAPA website is under construction and will go live soon. For additional information about the FAPA, contact info@fairmontfapa.org.