FROM THE USAPA
Friedenberg — a former playing partner of Mr . Davis in Washington — was the first president .
A national tournament began in 2009 . It and all subsequent editions have been in Arizona , with the first several years set at Sun City Festival .
At that first tournament , organizers honored Mr . Hill . He received a silver bowl with an inscription that reads , “ Earl Hill – One-of-a-Kind Pickleball Pioneer and Founder of the USAPA Ambassador Program .”
While the groups tied to the Surprise senior communities and USAPA were still the heart of pickleball , by then the game had grown beyond senior communities and tournament players into the all-ages activity its inventors originally imagined .
“ It was a unique experience . The rules of the game are designed to create hits . The whole idea from the people who started it was the more hits , the more fun . People get into it and people who don ’ t know one another end up having conversations . It becomes a highly social game ,” Mr . Davis said .
Arizona Traditions still boasts 240-300 players in its pickleball club .
Fewer than 10 of the original players are still active in the game . On a melancholy note , a couple of them recently passed away .
“ It ’ s not a real taxing sport . But at our ages , some of us are bone on bone . It ’ s a great sport . I just think we were worn out before we started it ,” Mr . Hamer said .
The game is no longer dependent on Arizona Traditions , the Senior Olympics , or even seniors for that matter . More than 150,000 players have 10,000 courts to choose from .
Pickleball has taken off in Canada and has small groups of players in places like Belgium , Iraq and Singapore .
Some top players stateside are converted tennis players in their 20s , Mr . Hill said .
In late October , Mr . Davis led a seminar for 15 Dysart Unified School District middle and high school teachers to pass on the game to students , with a goal set for a district-wide tournament in April .
“ I was a little surprised at how fast it grew . But the truth of the matter is , it appealed to a lot of people . It is so easy to learn and you don ’ t have to be terribly athletic ,” Mr . Hill said . “ That ’ s the reason for the growth . It ’ s not the tournaments at all . Of all the tournaments we have , only about 10 percent of the players ever play in one . Most of the players do it for exercise , fun and sociability .” • 10 TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 724.942.0940 OR GO TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG . COM