Phantastic Opening Week at CityPickle Philadelphia

Pheaturing the Phillie Phanatic.  

Only pickleball in Philly could turn into a full-on jawn on a Monday morning. The one and only Phillie Phanatic stopped by our courts on our opening Monday to say hi to all of his pickleball fans and entertain the daily Dilworth Park foot traffic – adding excitement to a typical work morning. We took dance breaks, enjoyed on-court pranks, and even did a little South Philly shimmy between serves.

The Phanatic lit up the morning both on the court, and in the park. Though he appears rather large and clumsy, the Phanatic showed no mercy on our courts with a mean serve and strong returns over the net. The only problem we faced during the match was the occasional temper tantrum he threw when his pickle partner stepped over the line to return the ball to competitors (but we don’t blame him… nobody likes a ball hog.)

After his match was complete (which he won, obviously), the Phanatic made time for a photo-op with all of his fans who came out to support him and to meet him. As many CityPickle team members have never met the Phanatic himself, this was a moment of nostalgia for our Co-Founders, Erica Desai and Mary Cannon, as their Philly roots run deep.  

Overall, we had such a great day in Philly and loved getting to spend the morning with the Philly-renowned Phanatic. Everyone in Philly needs to stop by and check out our courts, as you never know when the Phillie Phanatic may return…

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