By Claire Brinsden Jordan
SWEET PICKLE(BALL)
This year marks the 60th anniversary of pickleball. That’s right, it’s been around longer than you think! Pickleball was never meant to be a serious sport. It was invented in 1965 in Washington state by Congressman Joel Pritchard and his two buddies, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, to provide summertime family fun.
They used a badminton net, home-made wooden paddles, and a whiffle ball to create their new backyard game. By 1990 it was being played in all 50 states, and in 2019 it became a professional sport. Pickleball has become a big DILL and people RELISH playing it. But enough of the pickle puns. So where did the name “pickleball” come from? Some believe it was named after Joel Pritchard’s dog, “Pickles,” who enjoyed chasing and stealing the whiffle balls while they played. Others believe it gets its name from the rowing term “pickle boat,” which is made up of leftover crew members who are thrown together. After all, pickleball combines elements of badminton, tennis and ping-pong.
I started playing tennis at the ripe age of 43, and I was fortunate to learn my strokes from a world-class coach who played on the pro tour. It’s taken me 11 years of training and clinics to get to the level I am today. Tennis is highly technical, challenging, and often frustrating. It requires a decent skill level to fully enjoy it, otherwise you’re just chasing balls. At the risk of sounding like a tennis snob, pickleball does not require a high skill level to enjoy it, and that’s the draw. If you’ve ever been to Crescent Lake Park on a Saturday morning, you know what I mean. There are 50 people on the pickleball courts, and four on the tennis courts. Pickleball provides physical activity, mental focus, and social engagement with less time investment for improvement.
I’ve had fun playing pickleball on vacation, but I don’t play regularly because I have a difficult time switching between a long-necked tennis racquet and a short-necked pickleball paddle. However, when my time sprinting around a tennis court comes to an end, I fully intend to take up pickleball. It’s fun for all ages, but is especially good for older players and those with less mobility.
Health Benefits & Injury Risks
If you are in search of a fun way to stay active, then pickleball is an excellent choice. It provides a cardio workout, which improves heart health. Pickleball involves direction changes that engage major muscle groups and increase endurance. It requires hand-eye coordination, quick reflexes, and good balance. As a low-impact sport, it puts less stress on joints while still burning calories for weight management. The need for quick decision-making on court improves cognitive function and memory recall. With the release of endorphins, pickleball boosts mood and reduces stress, especially with the built-in social interaction.
As with any sport, pickleball also comes with physical hazards. Pickleball-related injuries include sprains and strains to shoulders and wrists, often from falls on the court, as well as sprained ankles and pulled hamstrings. It’s important to stay active outside of pickleball so that when you get on the court you have the fitness to play. Taking up pickleball as a weekend warrior may land you at urgent care. Just like “tennis elbow,” there is also “pickleball elbow,” an overuse injury from constantly swinging a paddle. To avoid injury, always warmup properly with dynamic stretching before playing, and then cool down with static stretching after playing.
The Rules & Scoring
Pickleball rules and scoring are simple. You serve underhand, diagonally over the net, and the ball must land inside the boundary lines. The server wins a point if the other player fails to return the ball or hits the ball out of bounds. The server alternates sides and keeps serving until they miss. You can only win points when you are serving. When in the “kitchen,” the 7-foot area on each side of the net, you are not allowed to hit the ball out of the air (volley). You are free to smash a high ball when you are not in the kitchen. The server calls out the server score, then the receiver score. The first person to get 11 points wins the game, but you must win by two points. A match is best 2 out of 3 games with the third deciding game sometimes played to 15 points. The rules and scoring are slightly different for doubles play (i.e. four players on a court).
Where to Play
The growth of pickleball as a sport has also led to an expansion in the number of pickleball courts, unfortunately often at the demise of tennis courts. Here in South Pinellas we have wonderful public parks and recreation centers where outdoor pickleball courts are free to use. These include Fossil Park, Crescent Lake Park, Coquina Key Park, Bartlett Park, Denver Park, Walter Fuller Recreation Center, and Northwest Recreation Center. If you are vacationing at the beach, you’ll also find pickleball courts at SkyBeach Resort, Sunrise Resort, and Island Grand at Tradewinds Beach Resort. For those avid pickleball players who are willing to pay for reserved court time, consider joining The Racquet Club of St Petersburg on 47th Avenue NE, where they have four dedicated outdoor pickleball courts. Also set to open early fall is the new St Pete Athletic Paddle & Social Club in the Warehouse Arts District at The Factory. Membership to the facility includes use of 14 indoor pickleball courts, providing shelter from whatever our Florida weather brings. Regardless of your age or fitness level, pickleball is an inclusive sport that provides a fun path to fitness. And if you’re having fun, you’re more likely to stay motivated to exercise. All you need to start is a good pair of court shoes that provide outsole stability, and a pickleball paddle, which range in price from $30 to hundreds of dollars, depending on the composite materials used to make it. The Pickleplay app can help you find courts and fellow “picklers” near you. Do keep in mind that it can get quite competitive on the pickleball courts. So get out there and “smash a dink!”