Even as a newcomer, the SLC Padel Club is seeking to build community and belonging as it introduces Utah to padel.
If you’ve never heard of padel before, you’re not alone. The SLC Padel Club, which opened in September, is the only padel club in Utah. The sport, invented in 1969, originated in Mexico and gained popularity throughout much of Latin America and Spain.
Enrique Corcuera created the first recognizable court at his holiday home in Acapulco, Mexico. He didn’t have enough space for a full regulation tennis court, so he made a court that had cement walls close to the boundary lines.
To account for the walls, Enrique Corcuera and his wife, Viviana, made new rules for a more enjoyable game. Soon the Corcueras discovered how much they love their newly discovered sport and began sharing it with all their guests.
Prince Alfonso Hohenlohe, a friend of the Corcueras, visited the Corcueras’ holiday home where he first encountered the new game. While he was slow to take a liking to it at first, he fell in love with the new sport eventually and built padel courts in Andalusia, Spain. From there, the sport began to spread throughout Europe.
Things to know about padel
The first question many ask is how do you pronounce the name of the sport?
Some pronounce it like paddle and others pronounce it as pa-del. There doesn’t appear to be much tension concerning its pronunciation, but what’s the right way?
According to the Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries, it’s pronounced like paddle.
Pedro Bautista, co-founder of the SLC Padel Club, said it’s tomayto, tomahto when it comes down to it. Everyone pronounces it a little differently, but everyone gets what you’re talking about, he said.
The sport combines elements of tennis and squash, and is played on a court slightly smaller than a tennis court. While other racket sports such as tennis or pickleball often emphasize power, that’s not the case with padel.
Since padel is played on an enclosed court with walls your opponent can play the ball off of, power won’t always get the job done, said Kevin Theos, vice president of the Racquet Sports Professionals Association.
Building new friendships
The new sport offers an opportunity for friends and family to bond as they learn the basics of the new sport, said Bautista. His biggest advice for anyone trying to get involved in padel is to come with a community or find a community through social events.
“Join as many community events as you can. This is a social sport and you always need four people,” Bautista said. “(At) community events and the social events that we do, you’re going to meet three other people no matter what because you need four.”
Bautista emphasized that beginners shouldn’t be discouraged, as Utah is new to padel, and everyone is learning together.
Some of the social activities include Tapas Tuesday, for beginners, and Tapas Thursday, for advanced players, where you get to play for two hours and food is provided. Every other Sunday, the club also hosts a women’s day for female players to get together and play.
Focusing on community
Bautista hopes the SLC Padel Club will foster a community for forming new friendships and discovering a hobby they enjoy.
One thing Bautista wants everyone to know is that padel is not pickleball.
“You have walls around the court, and you can use them as a strategy,” Bautista said.
SLC Padel Club may be the only padel club in Utah for now, but it won’t be for long. Bautista said four more clubs separate from his will be established in Utah — specifically in Orem, Lehi and two additional locations in the Salt Lake area. He is excited to collaborate with these new clubs to build and strengthen the padel community in Utah.
More information about the SLC Padel Club can be found here.
