Around the World
PROJECT PICKLEBALL IN GHANA
S
By Winkie La Force
ix months ago, I woke
up and decided to spend
my 72nd birthday in the
remote village of Kubugu
in northern Ghana with all my
dear friends to introduce them to
pickleball.
Kubugu is a village of about 700
people. Ghanaians often refer to
its location as “overseas” because
in the past it was accessible only
by canoe. Though the trip now
includes paved roads and bridges,
it’s still not a journey for the faint
of heart who live in North Carolina.
The trip includes three planes, 13
hours in the air, and several hours
of commuting over challenging
surfaces to arrive in this beautiful
pocket of humanity.
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Ghana has a healthy democracy
and many happy, thriving people.
But what it doesn’t have—at least in
Kubugu—is a white woman. Many
children have never seen a white
woman (let alone a white woman
with white hair)—and a white
woman carrying paddles, balls and a
net is even more mystifying!
Before I arrived, the teachers,
students and parents carried bags of
sand and cement on their heads to
the schoolyard (the truck was stuck
in the mud) and thus created the
pickleball surface.
The Chapel Hill, North Carolina,
pickleball community generously
donated 50 balls, 30 paddles, a net
system and 25 nylon backpacks. In
addition, the Professional Pickleball
Registry (PPR) generously donated
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15 pairs of court shoes—all of it made
it to the village. We were set!
Play began daily the minute school
was over, and continued until
sunset. By the final day, we painted
permanent lines on the court.
Each morning, billy goats were
shooed off the court and then the
pickleball lessons began! All ages
scrambled around the court with
little ones always underfoot. The
players picked the game up quickly,
even the scoring.
It was interesting to experience
the difference in coaching the
Ghanaians from the students in the
U.S. I talked less and just let them
warm up, dinking, explaining the
two-bounce rule, and the rules of
the kitchen. The paddle taps at the
end of each game was a highlight,
always done with much enthusiasm
and cheering.
As my trip drew to a close,
residents of Kubugu were bursting
with pride. They rightfully claimed
the village to be the Pickleball
Headquarters in Ghana. The truth
is, it is so remote, few people could
actually come to see pickleball in
action, but they know it all started
in Kubugu, and they too are lovers
of this crazy game with a small ball
with holes all around. •