Pickleball Popularity Surges
Pickleball Takeover: One Paddle At A Time
The game of Pickleball is sweeping the U.S.A. and Canada
D. S. Mitchell
Just A Little Help
It was 2017 when I decided to start the www.calamitypolitics.com website. I asked “Computer Jane,” my techie friend for some help. Actually, a whole lot of help. She of course was cool, except she refused to give up her “pickleball time.”
Pickleball?
Pickleball? What’s that? I asked. Her response, “it’s sort of like a mix of ping pong, badminton, and tennis; but played different. It’s a whole lot of fun.”
Tell Me More
Pickleball is played on a court 1/4 the size of a tennis court. Like in tennis, players serve, volley and hit ground strokes but pickleballers use a solid surface paddle and a perforated plastic ball. All serves must be underhanded. Games are played to 11 points. To win, however, there must be a two point spread. Points can only been won if you are serving.
Die Hard Fans
This fun, fast paced, low impact and easy to play game has made 5.8 million Americans and Canadians die hard fans. The pandemic did nothing but accelerate the game’s popularity. Jane tells me she thinks the small court increases socialization and ups the action which she swears helps her stay in shape.
The Funny Name
I looked this up. Co-inventor, Joel Pritchard claims the name came from the term “pickleboat” in collegiate crewing. A “pickleboat” is defined as a boat filled by random rowers that were not selected for competitive races. Fitting since pickleball is a game combining bits and pieces of other games.
Terminology
Dillball: Incoming ball that has bounced once.
Dink: A soft arching shot hit on a bounce inside the kitchen.
Falafel: A shot hit without any force.
Flapjack: A shot that must bounce before being hit.
Kitchen: The 7 foot no-volley zone near the net.
Pickled: Scoring zero points in a game.
Where To Play?
To find a Pickleball court near you check out Places2play.org.
