everything. Pickleball kind of slows down, just by nature of the ball and the way it bounces, so it’ s a little easier for newbies to pick up a paddle and have some level of success in being able to play it and learn it relatively quickly.”
The study with Project Rally ran from September 2023 to January 2024. Researchers had help from the YMCA to recruit the group of first-time pickleball players made up of cancer survivors who had gone through extensive treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
In addition to the 18 cancer survivors— several of them women who had battled breast cancer— the group included five friends and family members.
Parker said it might seem counterintuitive to encourage cancer survivors who are already dealing with fatigue to play pickleball since it’ s natural for people to be exhausted after going back and forth on the court during a match that could last an hour or two.
“ But that physiological stimulus that you’ re placing on the body with physical activity helps to sort of build this buffer of energy reserve that can help folks deal with the effects of cancer treatment and keep that in survivorship over time.”
Parker noted that the researchers received very positive feedback from participants in the study.
Cancer survivors reported an average increase of their weekly moderate-to-strenuous physical activity by more than 80 minutes. As with Parker’ s mother, the participants got more exercise, made new friends and enjoyed the physical and social aspects of playing pickleball.
Jackie Rowe, who’ ll turn 78 in July, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer, at age 71. She belongs to three support groups to help cope with having multiple myeloma. She said one of the things the groups emphasize is for cancer survivors to increase their activity and become more mobile.
Rowe, however, couldn’ t leave her house during the COVID-19 pandemic because of her health issues. She said she was like a“ hermit” for almost 2.5 years, and she felt even more isolated after moving to Palm Harbor from Virginia. That changed after she participated in Project Rally.
“ I didn’ t know anybody, so that was a very important thing for me— to establish a group of like-minded people. And I found it through pickleball,” said Rowe, who now plays three days a week.
According to Parker,“ the( Project Rally) program just took off on its own, thanks to the YMCA personnel who were involved, interested and just fantastic research partners.”
MAY / JUNE 2025 | MAGAZINE 59