Ogden pal picks pickle(ball) to pepper parks

OGDEN — Consider it a "dill" the city couldn't refuse.

Retired businessman John Gullo is paying to have four pickleball courts built at city-owned Mount Ogden Park and is willing to donate money for training and other activities to see the sport become a smash hit.

Actually, the sport has nothing to do with food. It's named after Pickles, the family dog of one of pickleball's co-inventors, who used to chase stray balls and then hide in bushes.

"It's a good, physical game but not hard to learn," Gullo said. "It's a great sport, and I fell in love with it. I've been fortunate enough to have a few bucks, so I said, 'Let's do it.' "

Pickleball was invented in 1965 and incorporates elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis. On a badminton court with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center, players smack a perforated plastic baseball with wood or composite paddles.

The USA Pickleball Association's website notes that the sport has been played at the Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George since 2003. And by 2008, there were 420 places to play — and about 1,500 courts — in North America.

Gullo learned about the game at a country club near his winter home in St. George. He began playing during his rehabilitation after nearly dying from a heart attack 17 months ago.

"On a given day, at 9 o'clock in the morning, people show up. Four people play, and then you switch, so you get to meet all your neighbors," Gullo said. "I like the way people welcome you like family. It's not a competitive thing. It's about getting everybody to play. Twenty to 24 people show up to play every day."

While in St. George, Gullo plays an hour-and-a-half before working with a personal trainer and doing up to 40 laps in a swimming pool.

"My stamina has improved," he said. "That's what the game has done for me."

Meanwhile, Gullo's weight has plummeted from 296 to 252 pounds, and his waistline is down six inches.

"I needed this for my health purposes, but since I can't put it in my (Ogden) backyard, I said I do this for the city, to get it going, and potentially, down the road, if it works, we could add more to it and maybe host some senior games up here," he said.

The city estimated the cost initially at roughly $40,000.