Pickleball Magazine 2-4 Courtesy of Pickleball Central

Bill Bell, played a round of golf and returned to the Pritchard home, where they found their children bored and restless. A badminton court was on the property; perhaps that would entertain them. Unable to find a full set of badminton equipment, the men brought out table tennis paddles and a perforated plastic ball. They set the net at 60 inches — the standard height for badminton — and players began volleying the ball over the net. The ball bounced well on the court’s asphalt surface, so the men lowered the net to 36 inches as an experiment. The next weekend, kids and adults resumed play at the Pritchards’ home, this time with neighbor Barney McCallum joining them. Soon, the three men created some rules, relying heavily on the game of badminton. They kept in mind the original purpose: to provide a game that the whole family could play together. Little did these guys know how exponentially the game would grow, especially once the RV crowd became involved. Back in 2010, there were around 100,000 players, mostly in Arizona, Florida, and Southern California. However, as RV snowbirds became hooked, they wanted to play in their northern locales. That’s when the real explosion began. By 2016, there were around 2.5 million players. Some estimate that by 2018, as many as 8 million will be playing pickleball. SIMPLE, INEXPENSIVE, AND FUN Have you ever played tennis, handball, racquetball, or squash? You’re halfway there. Pickleball is somewhat similar. Play can be soft, or rapid-fire, or a combination. Games are played as doubles or singles, with paddles that resemble oversized table tennis paddles. Players hit a perforated plastic ball that looks like a Wiffle ball over a net, which is 36 inches high on the ends (34 inches in the middle). In regular play, the winner is the first to score 11 points, and to win by 2. If you haven’t played pickleball but want to try, players in most communities often are happy to give free lessons and help. Many of these folks have paddles that you can borrow or buy. Many online sites sell pickleball equipment as well. Sporting goods stores, while a bit late to the party, also are beginning to carry pickleball gear. The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) is the governing body of pickleball in the United States. Its “Ambassadors” promote the sport around the country. Yes, I’m one of them! We see ourselves as spreading goodwill for this terrific game. POPULAR AND ADDICTIVE Pickeball is popular because it’s fairly easy to learn, without too many rules, and the equipment is reasonably priced. In my opinion, the biggest reasons for the game’s popularity are that it is so much fun to play and it is an extremely social sport. Men and women play as equals, generally in doubles games. It’s very good exercise, but because the court is one- quarter the size of a regulation tennis court, play is easier on the joints and muscles. If you pass by pickleball courts, you’ll often hear laughter and hooting and hollering over well-executed shots. The game sucks you in like no other I’ve ever experienced. Play it a few times and you’ll be hooked, too! RVERS AND PICKLEBALL Why are RVers so hooked on pickleball? Because the game is portable. The USAPA has made buying a portable net very affordable. (At this writing, a portable net system was $139 for USAPA members; $149 for nonmembers.) We carry a net as we travel in our motorhome and have played all around the United States, and also in Canada. With permission, we’ve played in a parking lot in Quebec City, Quebec; on a hockey rink at an RV park on Prince Edward CONTINUED >> JULY/AUGUST 2017 | MAGAZINE 43

Pickleball Magazine 2-4 Courtesy of Pickleball Central | Page 45