Pickleball: Not Just for Seniors
I was shocked. The first time I played pickleball every preconceived notion I had of the sport was destroyed. As a tennis player and former racquetball competitor, I had thoughts like, “It’s just for old people. It’s easy. It’s slow-moving.” Those went out the window. I discovered it’s challenging, it’s fun, and it’s great exercise. I am hooked.
Pickleball is the perfect game to play if you are new to racquet sports. The hand/eye coordination is excellent for keeping your brain and body in top shape. It’s also great for keeping your muscles toned and flexible, and it helps to improve your balance and reflexes. It’s also challenging for people who have played other racquet sports. It’s easy to learn but hard to master which is what makes the sport so interesting.
I started playing during the shutdown at an outdoor court in my community. I found it a good way (and one of the few ways) to meet people and exercise in a time when social distancing was in and indoor activities were out. It’s a popular sport in my neighborhood. We’ve had as many as 20 players show up for one of our sessions.
What is Pickleball? Pickleball is a sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis. Two or four players use solid paddles made of wood or graphite to hit a whiffle ball over a net. It shares features of other racquet sports: the dimensions and layout of a badminton court, and a net and rules somewhat similar to tennis. Pickleball has an array of shots and unique names for them. There are lobs and overhead smashes. The ‘kitchen’ is the small box seven feet from the net in the front of the court that is the ‘non-volley zone.’
The History of Pickleball According to legend, the game was created by Washington politician Joel Pritchard to entertain his bored family during the summer of 1965. There are two theories as to how this sport got its name. According to a published statement by Pritchard, his wife described the sport as looking like the pickle boat in rowing. This refers to a crew of oarsmen who are leftovers from the other boats. The second theory is that it is named after the Pritchard’s dog, Pickles. The dog would chase the ball and run off with it.
Pritchard’s wife has been quoted as saying Pickles the dog did not come around until two years after the game was invented, and the dog was named after the game. It’s possible the game simply didn’t have a formal name until the dog turned up to inspire it.
However it got its name, the game clearly has caught on: a couple of years ago the US Sports & Fitness Association recognized pickleball as the fastest-growing sport in the US. In the past six years the number of participants has grown by 600 percent.
Who Can Play Pickleball? While 75 percent of players are over 50, I have had a 13-year-old as a partner. I’ve also played with an 88-year-old. One of our opponents was a member of his high school tennis team. I’ve also had as a partner a woman who had never played any sport in her life. In our group, we regularly have 30- and 40-somethings who run the gamut of skill sets.
While it’s caught on with older people, it’s popular among all ages. One of the top pickleball players in the country is 14-year-old Leigh Waters who won championships in 2019 and 2021 (none was held in 2020). The sport is co-ed and diverse. Families—including grandkids—often play together.
Where Can You Play? The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) has a list of all addresses and names of places at which you can play pickleball, organized by state. The sport is also gaining in popularity internationally.
Most of the towns in Sussex have outdoor courts. Many communities like mine have courts as well. Georgetown and Lewes both have indoor facilities.
If you can’t find an official pickleball court, do what we do in my community: use a tennis court, outline the court in a different color from the tennis lines, and lower the net to a height of three feet. Or you can create your own court on a blacktop surface. Because you don’t need much area (compared to a tennis court), it’s easy to find a suitable area on which to draw the service courts and non-volley zone, and then hang a net in the middle.
If you’d like to learn more before you dive in, check out the USA Pickleball Association website: usapa.org. You can also find demonstrations and instruction about pickleball on YouTube. ▼
Pattie Cinelli is a health and fitness professional who loves exploring all of what the beach has to offer. She focuses on non-traditional ways to stay healthy and get well. Please email her at: fitmiss44@aol.com.