ParkView helps pickleballers plan and prepare

Pickleball is popular among Florida residents, but common issues such as overcrowding of the courts and poor weather can lead to wasted time, money spent on gas and frustration for the players.

ParkView, which provides real-time views of public park amenities through remote live camera access, was founded to solve these issues.

“We’re looking to save the community members time, money and unnecessary driving,” said Justin Rudolph, one of three owners and founders of ParkView.

Rudolph, along with Leo DaLynx and Aaron Angst – who met playing pickleball in Crescent Lake Park in St. Petersburg – founded this initiative.

ParkView became operational in the spring and offers a platform for people to remotely view live video of local parks and pickleball, tennis and volleyball courts in order to provide updates on the park’s conditions and activities.

This program is becoming handy for locals, as pickleball has had a rise in popularity in recent years, with over 36.5 million players nationally. Its popularity is likely due to the smaller barrier to entry in comparison to other sports, the owners explained, as anyone with a little hand eye coordination and a paddle can play.

Rudolph added that “it’s such a social and very accessible sport.”

Rudolph said his favorite part is the social aspect, rather than playing the game itself. While hanging out at the paddle rack, he has met people from all different backgrounds that he may never have interacted with before, he said.

“I’ve made 95 percent of my friends through pickleball.”

Because this social sport is so important to the three founders, they are currently offering this service for free in local parks. With no other staff, they handle the entire operation – including installation and covering the costs of cameras.

ParkView partners with municipalities, private business and private residences to install cameras that provide a unique and advantageous view of a local park or volleyball court, for example.

Each founder has different strengths that they bring to the operation, allowing it to run smoothly.

DaLynx has been critical to the installation of cameras, as he has a background in electrical engineering, as well as media/communications, and film and video production. He recently became a pickleball instructor. Rudolph’s background is in finance and athletics, while Angst has experience in political science, business and playing and teaching tennis.

By combining these skill sets, they plan to expand ParkView nationally in the future.

Beyond reducing wait times at the courts, reducing carbon emissions and traffic congestion is a huge benefit, said DaLynx.

“We’ve seen people save anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, and hours – even two hours of commute time, just in the Tampa Bay area” as they travel to play pickleball, he said.

With less traffic on the road, DaLynx and Rudolph said, ParkView statistically will reduce car accidents and fatalities.

Other benefits to the ParkView cameras being present is that they discourage people from littering or vandalizing, Rudolph said.

Rudolph, DaLynx and Angst plan to launch an app within four to six months and hope to continue to keep the service free, especially in the St. Pete area.

For more information, visit the ParkView website.