The
Ultimate
Social-Distancing
Game
Despite COVID-19 , there ’ s no slowdown in sight for pickleball or the demand for paddles and equipment .
GEAR GUIDE 2021
Normal vision is often referred to as 20 / 20 . In a year that shares the same numerical formation , it has hardly been anything remotely close to normal . Most would be willing to say that 2020 has been nothing short of horrific . People everywhere have adopted a radically different lifestyle — now considered the new normal .
With cancellations and postponement of pickleball events throughout the course of the year , and public play limited at most facilities , pickleball , like most sports , has had to re-evaluate , reconnect and reorganize . But what separates this sport from almost every other is the innate and all-encompassing passion of its participants . It ’ s a driving spirit that amazes both the casual weekend warrior and the seasoned professional . Pickleballers took on the COVID-19 pandemic , and like a Ben Johns crosscourt forehand winner or a Lucy Kovalova wraparound the net pole , met it headon — enabling the game to continue its meteoric rise in popularity . Many are calling pickleball the ultimate social-distancing sport , especially singles play .
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DECEMBER 2020 | MAGAZINE 33