For the Love of the Game
Ace Pickleball Club in Washington Township offers members an opportunity to exercise, make friends, and perhaps even find romance in a sport that continues to grow in popularity.
Considering that pickleball has been recognized as the fastest-growing sport in the United States for five years running, Dawn Raffa and Rob Nichols are far from alone in having become enamored with the game during that time. They do belong to a much more exclusive club, however, of people who have also found love on the court.
The two South Jersey residents were not looking for romance when they first met about two and a half years ago through a local pickleball group, but it soon blossomed when they least expected it. Now, they are working together to help others discover the sport—an exciting game that blends elements of tennis and ping pong—and while they can’t promise a love connection for everybody, they are confident that the opportunity to exercise, compete and socialize simultaneously will be appealing to many.
Owner Raffa and her partner Nichols are part of the newest franchise of a national brand known as Ace Pickleball Club, and they held the grand opening of their Washington Township indoor facility in May. For a monthly fee, members can take advantage of the climate-controlled setting, play on one of nine premium professional grade cushion courts and have access to clean restrooms, a hospitality cart and a pro shop with demo paddles. APC also has a stretching area, elite lighting and a like-minded group of pickleball players from all different levels.
It was Raffa who first explored the idea of opening a club, and after meeting with the APC corporate team in Atlanta, she felt it offered the best model.
“I was getting increasingly frustrated with the places I was playing,” she says. “They were always in these really bad facilities, like a taped tennis court or a gym floor and it cost $15 each day to play for two hours. They had no bathrooms and they locked you into competing for a spot to play at a designated time. I just knew there was a better way to play.
“Our club is similar to a gym or a country club where members pay a monthly fee, and can come and play as much as they want. We offer all inclusive leagues, clinics, tournaments, a ball machine and private court reservations. All of that would normally cost more money, so it’s really good value.”
Although outdoor pickleball courts have sprouted up at parks throughout South Jersey, at Ace the weather is never an issue, and that’s not the only benefit.
“I can’t tell you how much a difference the cushion courts make,” Nichols says. “When I play on outdoor courts, I feel it in my hips, my knees and my lower back. On the cushion courts, I feel like I’ve had some exercise, but I’m not hurting.
“In a lot of indoor places, it can get really loud—even louder than a bowling alley. So we’ve also added soundproofing to our club because we know that’s a big complaint for people.”
APC is welcoming to beginners, offering free lessons so they can learn the rules and a starter series to get them acclimated to pickleball. But it’s also an ideal spot for intermediate and advanced players, with multiple courts assigned for those levels, and will also host quarterly tournaments, with the winners eligible to compete in a national tournament and win money prizes.
No matter the skill level, players can easily meet new friends and bond over a shared experience. Dr. Raffa is a licensed clinical psychologist who is also the founder and owner of Inner Balance Psychology Center, which has locations in Marlton, Pennington and Philadelphia. She noticed a correlation between her two passions of pickleball and mental health.
“As a psychologist, I see so many great benefits to people playing pickleball: Lonely people, retired people, those with anxiety or depression, individuals who have lost a spouse,” she says. “I personally developed this great group of friends that I normally wouldn’t have known otherwise, from all different walks of life and all different age ranges.”
Raffa and Nichols—who she calls “the love of her life”—are the perfect example of what can happen. But aside from finding romance, pickleball also has healing powers because of its social connection, whether it’s new friendship or a married couple reigniting their spark through a shared activity.
Nichols likes to think of it like the bar Cheers from the old TV show, where everybody knows your name.
“We want to make sure it’s very welcoming to everybody, whether you’re retired or in college,” he says. “We want it to be what we call the third spot for people: They have their home, they have their work, and we want the club to be the third spot they go to hang out and enjoy.”
The couple is excited to open up the possibilities for people in Gloucester County to discover an addictive hobby and build meaningful relationships. Raffa will also continue to see patients and oversee Inner Balance, which offers therapy for individuals, children and adolescents, families, couples and more.
“I believe I offer a good team approach, because I grow the therapists, supervise them and give them a lot of guidance and leadership,” she says. “We are a unique practice because we offer our patients a team approach. In our field, you need to be able to talk about cases in order to provide good care, because there’s a lot of difficult cases that we encounter.
“I have wonderful staff and great management at both Inner Balance and APC Turnersville. We want to bring joy and happiness to the community through pickleball.”
Ace Pickleball Club
Turnersville
