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Milwaukee firefighters join in on pickleball craze
Pickleball has become a popular sport at Milwaukee firehouses.
MILWAUKEE - Firefighter Ezra Aitch grabs a rolling pin from a drawer at Engine 32 Firehouse on Milwaukee’s west side and goes to work.
He spreads flour on a football-sized lump of dough and rolls it out flat. It would become the shell of three calzones big enough to feed several firefighters at lunch during their 24-hour shift at one of the busiest firehouses in the city.
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When lunch is finished, and dishes are cleaned and put away, MFD Heavy Equipment Operator Jesse Mrotek reaches for the phone and sends a message that will be heard throughout the firehouse: "Pickle Ball. Five Minutes."
Pick up your paddles
The backstory:
As good at Aitch is with a rolling pin, he’s even better with a pickleball paddle. Considered to be one of the best overall athletes in the department, Aitch started playing pickleball during the COVID-19 pandemic.
That’s about the same time the popular sport was taking off as a hobby in firehouses across Milwaukee. The sport is a perfect fit for the firefighter community, who are required to be in or around the firehouse for their entire shift – except, of course, in the case of emergency calls.
"You have to be able to do something in the firehouse with your free time," said Lt. Mike Schwade. "Some people will run around the firehouse, some guys play basketball, we used to play a lot of handball."
‘Blow off steam’
What they're saying:
Capt. Christiaan Hoose is in charge of Firehouse 32 and often joins in the games when all of his work is done.
"This is just another way that we are together as a family," he said. "It sounds corny, but this is great for us. We’re a busy firehouse, we see a lot, we do a lot, and this is a great way for us to blow off steam and be human."
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They may be on the same team when they respond to an emergency, but when the pickleball games start, it’s battle filled with plenty of trash talk, taunting and celebrations of great shots.
"Things can get a little boiled over," said Mrotek, who isn’t afraid to stir the pot himself with verbal volleys directed at his coworkers turned pickleball opponents.
Citywide craze
Big picture view:
The pickleball/firehouse craze isn’t limited to Engine 32. Across the city, garages, parking lots and even an old handball court now do double duty as pickleball courts.
Hoose said the sport is a great way for his crew to stay in shape, blow off steam and be ready to go when emergency calls come in. Games that are interrupted by calls often continue when crews return to home base, which means games that normally take 20 minutes often take hours to complete.
The Source: FOX6 News interviewed members of Milwaukee Firehouse 32.