Fitness

pickleball

The area’s sweetest new sport

Written by Jennifer Miller

Pickleball. Maybe you’ve heard of it? The paddle sport is taking the country, especially North Idaho by storm. Just like it’s crunchy counterpart, it’s been called addicting. It seems everywhere you go lately, more people are talking about pickleball, playing pickleball, and more courts are popping up. So what is pickleball, besides the sport with the funny name?

Pickleball is relatively new on the scene. A combination of tennis, badminton, and ping pong, it was invented as a backyard game by 3 men on Bainbridge Island in 1965. It can be played either indoors or outdoors on a badminton sized court with a modified tennis net. The only equipment you’ll need is a paddle and a plastic ball with holes similar to a wiffle ball. Pickleball is easy for beginners as it was created so the whole family could play. And that funny name? It was thought up by Joan Pritchard, wife of founder Congressman Joel Pritchard, a reference of the thrown together leftover non-starters in the “pickle boat” of crew races.

Pickleball gained momentum quickly with the first tournament in 1976 and was played in all 50 states by 1990. There are now over 8,000 recognized courts, leagues and tournaments nationwide. Pickleball is most commonly played as doubles but can be played as singles as well. Games are played to 11 points, and you must win by 2. The “kitchen” is what is referred to as the non-volley zone, and players can’t enter during volleying. Only the serving side may score and the point ends when one side commits a fault.

While the rules may be a little intense, pickleball is easy to learn, inexpensive to play, a great way to be social, low impact, easy on your joints and most importantly, fun!

WHERE TO PLAY:

Cherry Hill Park | 1718 N 15th Street | Coeur d’Alene 12 outdoor courts, nets provided (first come, first serve) --------------------------------------------------------------------------The Kroc Center | 1765 Golf Course Road | Coeur d’Alene 2 indoor courts (Call for availability) (Membership facility) --------------------------------------------------------------------------McEuen Park | 420 E Front Street | Coeur d’Alene 2 outdoor courts (first come, first serve) --------------------------------------------------------------------------Memorial Field | Fort Grounds Neighborhood 8 outdoor courts (4 permanent), lights for evening play (first come, first serve) --------------------------------------------------------------------------Peak Health & Wellness | 95 W Centa Hayden, ID 4 permanent indoor courts (Call for availability) Instructors, lessons & leagues (Membership facility)