A Beginner's Dilemma 

“Why don’t you two beginners practice together?” 

Mr. Friendly’s question sounded more like a command than a suggestion to this newbie on her first night of open indoor pickleball at the local community center.   

Located less than a mile from my house, I joined this community center because it offered pickleball, along with yoga, spinning classes, and even a childhood favorite  —  badminton. Of course, I expected that a sense of community came with the membership. Now, I was dubious.

Players trickled in, claiming their courts and partners for the first round of doubles during the 90-minute session. Meanwhile, Teri and I, dubbed beginners, played together on the far court. Until more players arrived. Instead of the regulars asking us to play with them, they asked the manager to set up another net. Just for us.

Politely, we were banished to play behind the barrier in the gymnasium Isolated. No stray balls would roll onto our neighbor’s court. No rallying calls or screeching shoes. And no regular players dared rotate in and out of our game.

 “They are aggressive players,” Teri said, adding that she had experienced this brand of competitive behavior from them last week.

Although I felt hurt, I focused my anger on controlling my shots. Low pressure. No scorekeeping. She had taken pickleball lessons, and my good friends had taught me the ins and outs of the game.

Beginners? Our coordination, strategy, and court coverage surpassed any average beginner. 

Admittedly, I’m biased.

Teri, a left-handed player, recognized we had both played tennis. We got into a steady groove and started having fun.

Then, a player I’ll call Manny, who had paired Teri and I together, appeared. “Let’s hit. Keep the ball in play. Don’t worry about the score,” he said. He motioned for me to team up with Teri.

After we ran Manny from side to side, sweat started dripping from his forehead. He analyzed our returns, much like a sports commentator who points out every error your team made in real time. His coaching was useful, his intentions good, but I wanted to hit without the free lessons.

Obviously, he wasn’t winning any points with me. Before leaving us to resume practicing, Manny shared several key ways to win points: 1) hit the ball at the person’s feet, over their head, and anywhere they are not.

My new friend Teri and I said our farewells in the parking lot. I asked her if she had tried the open badminton, naively thinking the game didn’t draw the racquet warriors. Her story surprised me.

“The desk person looked me up and down before asking: When was the last time you played?”

Teri, who is an athlete with knee surgery to her credit, admitted she had not played the game for decades. Because of that, she was shunned. “We have professional badminton players here. Why don’t you play pickleball instead?”

Really? I thought. My community center is a training ground for badminton champions.

“I’ll stick to pickleball then. Do you play on other days?” I asked Teri. 

“Tuesday nights. But don’t come on weekday mornings for pickleball," she said, in a voice that warned me off.   

“Oh?” I asked.

"It’s all levels. We’d have to play with beginners!” Terri said.

We both laughed. I laughed all the way home. Because the truth is, nobody likes to play with beginners, even beginners. 

Footnote: I returned to the community center for open play night. Manny, a regular, told me he felt bad for how we were treated.