Highlands Today
PICKLEBALL: Hot New Sport Has Plenty Of Local Fans
Kathy Waters/Highlands Today
From left: Dean McKinney and Larry Anacker partner up for a game of Pickleball on Tuesday at Tanglewood in Sebring.
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Published: March 5, 2008
SEBRING — Active seniors are quickly becoming addicted to Pickleball, a sport that combines aspects of tennis, ping pong and badminton. And, no, it does not involve pickles.
When Charles Kuehn, a winter resident of Sebring, started playing a few years ago, he couldn't find anyone who had heard of it. Now the courts at Tanglewood fill up at about 8 a.m. and players are usually waiting, with paddles in hand, for courts to free up.
"It's a sport that you play once and then you just want to play again," Kuehn said. "It's very addicting … It's the greatest sport you've never heard of."
Al Goldberg used to play tennis and then Kuehn suggested he try Pickleball, which some consider a slower version of tennis.
"I had no idea what it was, but I picked up a paddle and gave it a try," Goldberg said. "I think I've played every day since."
The sport has become so popular with senior citizens it was even added to the Heartland Senior Games this year, and 35 teams and six single players have registered for the competition, which starts at 9 a.m. Friday at the courts in Tanglewood.
The sport is played on a 20-by-40-foot court, the same as badminton, and the net is set at 34 inches, two inches lower than in tennis. Players use paddles, which may be made of wood or graphite, to hit a whiffleball about the size of a baseball, back and forth.
The game starts with an underhand serve and at least two underhand shots must be exchanged before volleying is allowed. No volleys, or overhead shots, are allowed within seven feet of the net. A point is scored when the ball is not returned, and the first player or team to 11 points with a two-point lead wins.
"It's usually easier to watch people or to just pick up a paddle and start playing than it is to try to explain it with words," Kuehn said. "It's easy to catch on and get good at."
Doubles play is popular in the Tanglewood community, with husband and wife teams, two men or two women.
"Doubles is nice because you don't have to run as much," Kuehn said. "But you need good communication with your partner too."
The competition is always friendly and usually ends with players tapping paddles with their opponents.
"We came up with that because it's just too hard to juggle the paddle and ball and try to shake hands," Patrick Hotchkiss said.
The active seniors said the sport offers a good level of exercise for their age.
"You don't have much ground to cover, so when a couple steps in any direction, you can cover the court," Goldberg said.
Larry Anacker has dropped 15 pounds since he started playing about two years ago.
"It's an easy way to get active, and it's good exercise for an old guy," Anacker said.
Tanglewood's courts are only available to residents of the subdivision, but the sport can easily be played on a tennis court by lowering the net and taping or painting lines indicating the smaller court.
Sun n' Lake is considering including Pickleball courts when the new recreation complex is constructed.
WHY THE NAME?
The game was created during the summer of 1965 on an island outside Seattle as a way to include the entire family. The family's cocker spaniel dog, Pickles, liked to chase balls, so the family nicknamed the sport Pickle's ball, which later turned into Pickleball.
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