PHOTO BY MARTIN EINHORN
“ Although we introduced pickleball to many adults while in Israel , we had the opportunity to teach hundreds of children who loved it ,” said Hall , who runs the pickleball social media platform Today in Pickleball . “ We all had special moments with the kids that we enjoyed very much . They wanted to know how they could keep playing when we left .”
“ The highlight for me was playing with the Israeli children and teenagers ,” said Quicksilver . “ Witnessing the joy on their faces as they got to play a new sport and hit with the U . S . delegation was very special .”
The group arrived in Israel three days early in mid- July to experience the country and tour historical and religious sites , such as the Wailing Wall , while bonding as a group . They played a full week of pickleball spread between the cities of Tel Aviv , Jerusalem , Haifa and Ramat Hasharon . Each stop consisted of an exhibition followed by clinics at an Israel Tennis & Education Center in the morning and then neighborhood parks in the afternoon .
Thanks to The Kitchen Dink , the U . S . team quickly became fan favorites by handing out PICKLE T-shirts spelled in Hebrew .
“ It was remarkable how our games attracted everyone from around the facilities we played at . The longer we played , the more people would show up to play with us . The fun emanating from our courts was contagious ,” Levine said . “ It was generally organized for the kids who were at the tennis summer camps , so they picked it up quickly . But since we were playing at the tennis stadiums where they were staging the Maccabi tennis events , the tennis competitors would ask to join in , too .”
“ The reaction was overwhelmingly positive ,” said Quicksilver , who oversees the Board of Directors for USA Pickleball which , in its role as the National
Governing Body , directly supported the trip . “ The children and adults couldn ’ t wait to get on the court and play with the members of the U . S . team . When they experienced how relatively easy pickleball is to pick up and how quickly they could enjoy playing it , they didn ’ t want to stop .”
The group taught top junior tennis players from Argentina , Spain and Mexico how to play pickleball , and according to Hall , they “ became very good , very quickly .”
This was not Rifkind ’ s first goodwill tour to Israel . He also traveled there in 2017 — replete with four nets , 25 paddles and several hundred balls — to introduce the sport of pickleball . He conducted exhibitions at four tennis centers and met with Maccabi Games management to initially pitch inclusion in the event .
“ I continued to work with the Israel Tennis & Education Centers ( ITEC ) to promote pickleball and take the steps necessary to get pickleball represented ,” Rifkind said . Today pickleball is in about half of the 15 ITEC facilities across the country . “ This past January , I received the official letter that pickleball would be accepted as an exhibition sport .”
His global travels have endeared the game to so many and for Rifkind — who was recently featured in a 25-minute documentary titled “ Dinking Across Faith ”— it means his never-ending quest for pickleball acceptance worldwide is gaining ground .
“ Pickleball was accepted at the Maccabi Games in the same manner that I ’ ve experienced in 20 other countries . Young or old , smiles and laughter and immediate friendships occur through this great game . It brings together people from different race and religion ,” he added . “ Having athletes from other sports who were competing in their respective events was amazing . Soccer players , tennis and volleyball players from other countries came out and were immediately engaged and in love with the game . Much of this can be attributed to ( our ) delegation of players . Each one of them was absolutely amazing . ( Now ) somebody has to carry the torch when we leave .”
Drew Wathey is a published author of “ A Season With Hope ” and first-ever director of communications for the PGA TOUR ’ s Phoenix Open . Wathey is owner of SportsLink , a home-based sports public relations and marketing company . He is also a national sports anchor for iHeart Radio . He and his family live in Phoenix , Arizona .
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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 | MAGAZINE 75