Pickleball: A sport for all

Move over tennis, badminton and ping-pong - Pickleball is here. That's right, Pickleball. The oddly named game is becoming the sport du jour among several Granite Bay residents and is in such demand that Johnson Ranch Racquet Club in Roseville recently opened four Pickleball courts at its tennis facility on Eureka Road."I first heard about the sport several years ago when my kids played it during P.E. in junior high school," said Granite Bay resident and official Pickleball ambassador Liz Skinner. "About three years ago we even installed a Pickleball court in our back yard and there are several teams who come to play each week."Playing Pickleball is like a playing a mini tennis or badminton game. The sport is played on a court about the same size as a badminton court with paddles that are a combination of a racquetball racquet and a ping-pong paddle. A net, set at regulation tennis height of 36 inches, is in the middle of the court and up to two players are allowed on each side as they hit a 3-inch plastic ball back and forth until the ball is out of play.Alan and Lorraine Christensen, also of Granite Bay, got into the game about 18 months ago when they set up a court in their driveway and played the game with their children.Today, the couple plays much more than an occasional game in the front yard. They recently returned from the Senior Olympic Games where they each brought home a number of medals for their age group in Pickleball competition."Pickleball has begun to show up in the Senior Olympics in about 20 states," Alan said. "This is a great game because you can play at any age, you don't have to know tennis and it's not as physically taxing as some sports."Alan feels its popularity has grown because the population in general has grown older. He said there's even a retirement community in Arizona where Pickleball courts are occupied every day all day long, weather permitting."It is a social thing. Since the courts are so much smaller than a tennis court, people are closer together and the players can converse and interact while playing," Lorraine said.Even though the sport may be somewhat social, Lorraine enjoys the competitive aspect as well. She's always participated in sports throughout her life and Pickleball is just one more way she chooses to stay active.Her husband enjoys the sport because it has constant action. The games are short, the winner is declared after 11 points, but it can also be played at a high level as well."You get to hit the ball a lot," Alan said. "It keeps your attention."Pickleball began in 1965 on Bainbridge Island in Washington. Joel Pritchard, a Washington state Congressman and his friend, Bill Bell, came up with the idea when their families complained they were bored and had nothing to do. The sport is named after the Pritchard's dog, Pickles, who would hide in the bushes and chase down errant balls.As an ambassador for the sport, Skinner promotes Pickleball as much as she can. She is a spokesperson and representative for the United States of America Pickleball Association (USAPA), dealing with the national Web site and newsletters."I'd like to get this into the high schools as a competitive sport," Skinner said. "It's not expensive, you don't have to be a superstar to play, and it is not based on power, but more on finesse."Johnson Ranch Racquet Club marketing director Rosemary Tanfani said she is looking forward to seeing how popular the sport will become."I think the club sees the value of it. It was a smart decision to offer the Pickleball courts," Tanfani said.The Christensens and Skinner are thrilled to have the new courts at Johnson Ranch and feel it is a good way for the club to keep those members who might be thinking about giving up tennis.For more information about Pickleball in Granite Bay and Roseville, call 791-203 or visit www.usapa.org.