Image of a yellow pickleball 

Pickleball anyone?

    Nearly 5 million people play pickleball. It's a mashup of a game: badminton, ping-pong, and 
tennis. Players use a small paddle and a hard
plastic wiffle-like plastic ball.

    This popular game with the weird name was invented in 1965, according to my research.
Where'd the name come from? Take your pick of two stories. Pickleball, which combined several sports, was akin to the pickle boat in crew where the oarsmen were picked from extra crew members from other boats. Or, the quirky name came from the inventor's family dog Pickles. 

    Recently, I met an avid tennis and pickleball player. (I’m not sure if it’s as rare as having seen a red-footed dodo bird, but pretty close.) I also play both racquet sports, and our fast-paced conversation was like ping-pong but nobody was keeping score.  

    In high school, I played on the girls’ junior varsity team. In fact, I didn’t really want to advance to varsity level because that’s when everything became more cutthroat. Friends are friends on and off the competitive court in my book.

    That said, I’m not a tennis purist whose afraid pickleball might ruin my serve. So, when several friends raved about this racquet sport, I wanted to learn how to play.  I was also fortunate to find  friends willing to teach me to play. (Thank you Kay!) Unlike tennis, it's been easier to find someone to play a pick-up pickleball game. 

    My top reasons to try pickleball.

·             It’s accessible. Pickleball is cheap compared to other games like golf. All one needs is a racquet, decent court shoes, and balls. The plastic balls (one design for indoor, the other for outdoor play) can take a beating longer than tennis balls, which lose their bounce after a couple hours of court time.

·             It’s social. One can opt to play singles or doubles. Despite the shorter court, doubles is doable. Personally, I like to team up with another player. And the chances of getting hurt by your partner’s fast serve is slim. Tennis balls sting, trust me. Pickleballs, not so much.

·             Age doesn’t matter. Young or old, all age can play.

·S    Serving is simple, and there are two acceptable ways to serve. Drop the ball and plunk it over the net, or toss the ball in the air and hit it, like tennis.  

·         One can play year around on indoor or outdoor courts.

·         It’s fun to shout, “Get out of the kitchen,” at your partner. Don’t be discouraged by the quirky nicknames. Just embrace it. Yes, there are rules, lots of rules. I downloaded 80 pages. But the best way to learn is to get out at play!

·         Finally, it’s fun!