Most of us are familiar with the regular racquet and ball sports. They of course run the full selection of tennis, racquetball, badminton, squash, and table tennis. All of these games are challenging and require no small degree of exertion and sweat. Most of these games require a certain degree of sophisticated knowledge and skill to play well. They are games that have traditionally provided us with fun, exercise and fitness. However there is a new game on the courts these days.

It seems that human ingenuity has no limits when it comes to designing opportunities to get the whole family involved in a 'family ' game. It is also particularly attuned to a senior's activity.

The new game is a mini-tennis game called Pickle-Ball. It was created during the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, WA. According to the inventors the original purpose of the game was to provide a sport for the entire family. The name? Nothing sophisticated here, something simple and recognizable. Pickles was the family dog that would chase after the runaway balls and then hide in the bushes, thus Pickle's ball that was later shortened to the namesake of Pickle-Ball. Initially, families played Pickle-Ball in their backyards on a hard surface, on driveways, and on residential dead-end streets.

Since the mid-1970's, Pickle-Ball has grown and expanded from a family activity game to a paddle court sport with formalized rules. Now, over 20 years later Pickle-Ball is played in thousands of school phys ed programs, parks and recreation centres, correctional facilities, camps, YMCA's and retirement communities. This sport is becoming very popular among active senior adults at community centres. Pickle-Ball is a hybrid of Badminton, Tennis and Table tennis, a three in one game, played with wooden paddles and a perforated plastic ball. It can be played on a normal Badminton court or on any hard surface such as driveways, parks, cul-de-sacs, playgrounds, tennis/volleyball courts. The net is lowered to 3 ft high. It is very easy to learn and is quickly played and enjoyed by everyone, men, women, children and benefiting people at all ages.

The key to the rapidly increasing popularity of Pickle-Ball is that it is very easy to learn and is quickly enjoyed by everyone. Pickle-Ball has enjoyed widespread growth throughout the Pacific Rim countries. Pickle-Ball took off in a very big way because it is a cheap and easy game to play on an ordinary Court. Although originally the game was meant for family to have an active, healthy and meaningful life, it is now also well accepted by people from all walks of life.
To get involved in Pickle Ball see the following links. http://www.usapa.org

2006-03/J.F.      Jerry Flaman     This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it