Pickleball has slipped into town as smoothly as a hand into a glove and it looks like it will fit in for awhile. Never hearing of it before, I could only imagine people dressed in dill pickle suits and groping around like a bunch of mud wrestlers. I was surprised when things finally gelled and the true facts came out.
Instead, it is a lively racket game that combines elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis, created for all ages and abilities with one thing in mind – fun. For most it was easy to learn. Two or four players traditionally play on a badminton-sized court with special paddles. The hardest thing to remember is to “let the ball bounce once” before a volley is allowed. The power of the serve is the determinate factor of the contest. Some players have perfected their side spin to keep opponents off-balance.
Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, outside Seattle. And last summer, pickle ball made its debut in Westmeath at the aren. Sheila Perras and Randy Fletcher, knowing of its popular reception in Florida and hearing from others in this region indulging in the sport, approached the Westmeath District Recreation Association and were sanctioned to proceed. One pickle ball court quickly multiplied to three because of its popularity. After the ice was installed, the group relocated to the Beachburg Public School gymnasium until spring. Sheila remarked, “Pickleball has been a great success with an overwhelming response to it. I think it will be here well into the future.”
Cobden is the other centre in Whitewater Township that enjoys the sport.
I too was interested in trying this new activity. Unfortunately, just after beginning my first set and attempting to return a lob from an awkward position, my shoe caught on the concrete and I went head-first into the side-boards. Later, considering my fall backwards and hitting my head while skating in the arena a couple of years ago, I was concerned, and rather than lose any more brain-power, I gave up pickle ball as I had done the skating.
Canada had a goal to hit 5,000 members this year, ending up with 7,000 with 10,000 in its sight. The sport is the fastest growing in North America at present. The number of places to play has nearly doubled since 2010. The spread of the sport is attributed to its popularity within community centers and retirement communities
Pickleball has long had an image problem among serious tennis players. The other day, this cranky tennis player sidelined from competition by a back injury was asked if it was, “Time for pickleball?” “Shoot me first,” he grumbled.
Tennis is the king of racket sports. Why fool around with a dumbed-down, eased-up knock-off with a goofy name, seemed to be the attitude of many. Recently, two revelations have changed many minds. In the USA, private and public tennis clubs have started drawing pickleball lines on tennis courts, even dividing tennis courts into four dedicated pickleball courts. “Each month some 80 new pickle ball venues open,” the USA Pickleball Association reports. American tennis is trying to hold on to its nearly 18 million players. Pickleball, on the other hand, is a much more accessible sport that most people, from 6 to 96, can start playing right away. There are 2.5 million American players, a surging total that one day could rival or outstrip tennis
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Second, Jennifer Dawson, a San Diego tennis pro who regularly collects national tennis championships, had won the first Triple Crown of Pickleball and in 2017 national titles in singles as well as women’s and mixed doubles. Mind you, Jennifer hasn’t retired from tournament tennis. She represents the U.S. in world competition. But she’s a rarity in that she’s equally committed to pickleball.
She views “The two sports as complementary,” tennis rewarding power and foot speed, pickleball quick reflexes and touch. If there’s a family dynasty of pickleball, the charismatic Dawson’s, owners of the Bobby Riggs Tennis Club in Encinitas, are it.
Tennis players will attest that after playing pickleball, it can be more tiring than a set of doubles in tennis. Lots of bending, lunging, squatting and split-stepping. “This is a chess game,” some say. “Tennis is a game of fitness and brutality.” Pickleball requires 10 times more touch.” With its lightning-quick pace, close proximity of players and infectious good humor, it does make tennis seem a lonely, dogged pursuit designed for masochists.
But it’s consoling knowing that the hilarity of pickleball could be just a court or two away for people who are interested. Unfortunately, not for me because of an inconvenient accident. Yes, I am envious of those able to participate!
