G&S Nursery Winter 2018 Newsletter

The Call of the
PICKLEBALL
Pickleball first gained popularity
among retirees who wanted
to stay active and found
the sport to be lower-impact
than the racquet sports of
their younger days. It wasn’t
long before younger players
became enthralled with
the sport when they realized
that “low-impact” can still be
physically demanding, and the
unique rules create strategic
opportunities that challenge
young and old equally.
Another very attractive aspect
of the sport is the social
atmosphere that characterizes
a typical P-ball club. Many
clubs reserve time at mixeduse
spaces like an indoor gym
where they set up temporary
courts. It’s a very informal
event; anyone can show up
and be confident that they will get
play time in thanks to an everchanging
roster of partners and
opponents. People get to know
one another very quickly this way.
The game can be played by two,
three or four players, with doubles
being the most popular. The court
is smaller than a tennis court and
hard paddles are used to hit a hollow
plastic ball with perforations
similar to a whiffle ball. Play loosely
follows the form of other racquet
sports with the most important
distinction being the “No Volley
Zone.” This zone, also called the
“kitchen,” includes the closest 7
feet of the court on either side of
the net. Players can return a ball
on a bounce from anywhere, but
they cannot return a volley (a ball
that has not yet bounced) while
standing in—carried by momen-
tum into— the kitchen. This No
Volley Zone plays a huge role in
keeping the game interesting.
Players with a background in tennis
typically will relish the opportunity
to bang the ball around but
will often find themselves outwitted
by a less athletic opponent
who knows how to exploit the
kitchen.
Beginners often start out playing
on a wooden paddle furnished
by the hosting club, but it isn’t
long before a player will yearn
for a more sophisticated paddle
and will invest $50 to $100 for a
lighter weight composite paddle.
There are scores of paddle
models available on Amazon and
specialty sites offered by at least
15 different manufactures.
Pickleball enthusiasts will often
boast that it is the fastest growing
sport in the country, but this
is a hard statistic to pin down.
What is not in dispute is the
steady growth of popularity and
passion. Typically, a small core
of players will form in a community
after being exposed to it
from some other area and will
begin introducing it to others
on makeshift courts. They will
soon focus on raising funds
and influencing city councils
to designate playing areas
that are more permanent. Gym
floors can have striping added
to mark off playing areas which
can then be completed by
erecting a portable net. Tennis
courts can similarly be striped
and existing nets can be easily
converted between
the
tennis
and
pickleball
for
a dualuse
arrangement.
When
interest really
starts to
snowball, then
dedicated courts are
constructed.
4
At left: Pickleball multiplexes have sprung up in places such as this Retirement community
in Casa Grande, AZ which now has 32 outdoor courts. Center: Pickleball
appeals to all ages.
Right: These players are enjoying a game of pickleball using a temporary net inside
a gymnasium. Many gym floors have been striped with the boundary markings for a
P-ball court. 5