Pickleball
I play a sport now, and no one can take that away from me - Tim Ryan Williams
image by: Public Domain
HWN Suggests
The Socially Distanced “Sport” That’s Perfect for Families
This summer, my wife and I needed an outdoor activity. The pool requires reservations days in advance; outdoor restaurants do not seem safe; we’ve already walked the entire neighborhood. But you just gotta get out of the house sometimes—more specifically, you need to get away from the kids. And while my wife and I share many interests (Buffy, travel, cards, treats), we’ve never had a sport in common.
The problem was we’d never seemed compatible when it came to sports. I have played a lot of tennis and know my NTRP rating (I’m a 4.5); my wife took tennis as her PE requirement in college but hasn’t really played since. She, however, as a former lifeguard and competitive swimmer, is…
Featured
As international participation grows, pickleball could end up in the Olympics
More than a half century after the addictive sport of pickleball was created in an American backyard, it's been exploding in popularity — thanks to its affordability and cross-generational appeal.
How Pickleball Won Over Everyone From Leonardo DiCaprio to Your Grandparents
The addictive tennis-Ping-Pong hybrid might be the last thing red and blue Americans can agree on. “I literally want every person in the world to play this game,” says one convert.
The pickleball explosion
Pickleball — a combination of tennis, badminton and ping-pong — surged in popularity over the past two years. But the sport's rapid rise is much more than a pandemic-fueled fad.
Articles of Interest
'Noisy' Pickleball Takes Elderly Communities 'By Storm'
The game, described as a hybrid of badminton, ping-pong and tennis, is ideally suited for older folks because it doesn't require a lot of quick, ligament-straining movements. But those 100,000+ pickleball devotees, many of whom duke it out in heated matches on retirement-home courts, have also faced hardship. Non-pickleball-playing residents resent them.
A Funny Name, a Serious Sport. Pickleball, Anyone?
MAYBE it was the whimsical name — pickleball — that got baby boomers to try the game. A hybrid of racket and paddle sports, it was not notably new. Pickleball began on Bainbridge Island, Wash., where legend has it that Pickles, the resident cocker spaniel, would chase the errant ball. It was Pickles’s ball, thus the name.
A Tennis Purist Who Became a Pickleball Pro
Why a cardiologist who’d played the traditional racket sport for decades switched to the low-impact alternative with the goofy name.
America's fastest-growing sport is a cross of tennis, pingpong and badminton
Invented in 1965 by three middle-aged fathers in Washington state, pickleball is a quirky cross among tennis, pingpong and badminton, played with a paddle and a perforated plastic ball. The founders are said to have named the game after a family dog called Pickles.
Golf’s Growth Has Nothing On Pickleball, But The Two Sports Enjoy Synergies Nationwide
Tennis has long been a natural complement to golf, but it’s pickleball that’s seen an explosion of adopters in recent years – both in terms of participants and facilities adding courts.
Is Pickleball the Perfect Pandemic Pastime?
Ellen DeGeneres recently declared herself among the intergenerational sport’s ardent enthusiasts.
Meet Pickleball, the next great American sport
The origin of the Pickleball name is mired in controversy.
Pickleball For All: The Cross-Generational Power Of Play
Easy to learn, and feels gentler to joints than tennis.
Pickleball Is Ready for Prime Time
As the sport continues to gain popularity, companies are looking to cash in.
Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America
But it has kept a low profile.
Pickleball: the oddly named sport that’s sweeping the US
It’s a cross between tennis, badminton and ping pong, and is reported to be the fastest growing sport in America – even Larry David loves it.
Pickleball: The racquet sport experiencing a pandemic boom
If you've ever dinked in the kitchen, you probably already understand the allure of one of America's fastest growing sports. And if you haven't, you'd better paddle-up because sooner or later somebody is going to invite you to join a game of pickleball.
The best $69.99 I ever spent: A pickleball paddle
I waited 20 years for a sport to free me from childhood angst. Pickleball ... mostly delivered.
Will Travel For Pickleball
"Our goal is to offer activities, spaces, and amenities that help travelers achieve physical and mental well-being" says Mirza. And pickleball is just one of the ways they are able to do so.
Resources
Pickler
Our mission at Pickler is to promote the sport of pickleball and inspire others to not only play pickleball, but also to become part of the pickleball community.
USA Pickleball
The mission of the USA Pickleball Association (USA Pickleball) is to promote the development and growth of pickleball in the United States and its territories.
Time for Pickleball
If you are looking for when and where you could play pickleball in and around Seattle, click on the Calendar or Courts menu items to get started.
