Pocket News 6-16-23

STEPS TO THE SACRAMENTO RIVER

Beautiful Pocket Home

Picklemania is alive, well in the Pocket area, beyond

By Patrick Powers

The pickleball craze is alive and flourishing in the Sacramento area, including the Pocket area, which is a hotbed of picklemania.

It is not uncommon to regularly see players from Natomas and Folsom come to the neighborhood to play this increasingly popular game.

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Four new dedicated courts are located at Garcia Bend Park at 7654 Pocket Road, along

the Sacramento River, and are scheduled to open soon. At this moment, it is a glacially slow construction site.

About a mile away is Lewis Park at 6570 Park Riviera Way. It is a beautiful, tree-shaded neighborhood park, and its two tennis courts were split into four pickleball courts.

During this paper’s recent visit to Lewis Park, 16 players were going at it in this fast-paced game. This paper also recently visited indoor courts in nearby

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Elk Grove.

At this point, you might ask, “What is pickleball?” A simplistic answer: It is like a combination of pingpong and badminton on steroids.

Pickleball is a fun, high-action game of hitting a whiffle ball-type

heads. The oversized 2 car garage with fit both vehicles plus storage.

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Photos by Patrick Powers Wayne Wong has been playing pickleball for one year. He plays three to five times a week. He provided the following testimony: “It’s

people.”

Picklemania

ball back and forth over a lower net in a court that is the size of a badminton court.

While playing this game, its players are in each other’s faces, which allows for plenty of opportunities for good conversations, but serious banter.

The courts are loud with laughter and competitive talk among its players. There might even be a boom box for music to liven up the camaraderie on the courts.

There are both frequent and infrequent players. Some players play every day.

Since the court is small, one does not run long distances. But still, players are constantly on the move.

Play a game, sit down, drink some fluids, and then you will be ready for another game.

One dominant thing that is present at a pickleball court is people enjoying themselves in this game that continues to draw more players.

Through this game, everyone is exercising and being a part of the community.

The learning curve is very easy and fun. Play one game and you will be hooked.

Players state that it’s addicting, and pickleheads are very compelled about this game.

As a bonus, there are many health benefits to playing pickleball. This game is an aerobic exercise, so it helps your lungs function better, controls your blood-sugar levels, regulates your blood pressure, and improves your cardiovascular conditioning.

The incredible success of pick-

leball has been the accessibility of people of all ages.

The game can be as intense as one likes. This is a driving force with senior communities.

In 2008, the game of pickleball was featured on “Good Morning America” in a live onair game. That TV moment gave the game its legitimacy.

Sammi Reynolds began playing pickleball at Lewis Park two weeks ago. She now plays every day.

See PICKLEMANIA on page 4

Brad Bento is ready for an indoor game of pickleball.

Pocket resident Thai Ly and Elk Grove resident Richelle Zehnder stand on a pickleball court at the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation in Elk Grove.

Picklemania

Continued from page 3

Today, there are about 5 million players, and the game has gone international.

One can visit the website, www.PlayTimeSchedular.com, and find games that are played in cities all over the world.

In Hawaii, the game is called pukaball. Pickleheads who are obsessed with and dedicated to the game are called picklers. Everyone who plays the game are pickleheads.

Pickleball can be played outdoors and in indoor gyms, and existing tennis courts are being converted into pickleball courts.

Indoor players say the wooden-floored courts are easier on the knees.

PICKLEBALL LINGO

Kitchen: Slang term for the non-volley zone

Volley Llama: An illegal move in which a player hits a volley shot into the kitchen

Pancake: Player lets ball drop to near one’s waist, and hits it before it touches floor

Falafel: A shot falls short due to not hitting the ball with any power

Bagel: A completed game when the losing team scores zero

Pickled: Same as bagel

A sign at Lewis Park provides rules for pickleball and tennis players.

Brad Bento waits for a serve at the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation in Elk Grove.

Kathleen and Brad Bento have been playing pickleball for more than four years.

See PICKLEMANIA on page 5

Friendship comes easy at Lewis Park. Standing from left to right at the park are Jackie Chan, EvetteTsang, Cinde Penochio and Sandy Jang.

Picklemania

Continued from page 4

Many players prefer indoor courts, as the game is faster and a little more aggressive.

A lot of players play three to five times a week. The obsessed play daily, and even kids are attracted to this fun game.

So, if anyone calls you a picklehead, say “Thanks, and do you want to play?”

The California Museum, at 1020 O St., announced the opening of “Black Pioneers: Legacy in the American West,” a timeline of original pictorial quilts exploring the path of Black history in the West.

This exhibit, which will be on display through Oct. 1, dispels the myth that Black people in the Old West were mostly cowboys, showing the rich diversity in African Americans' occupations and achievements in society, religion, education and the arts from 1528 through the civil rights movement.

Organized by The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art and curator, historian and artist Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi, Black Pioneers features 50 quilts created for this exhibit by the nonprofit organization, the Women of Color Quilters Network.

“Quilts and quilt making are important to America and Black culture in particular, because the art form was historically one of the few mediums accessible to marginalized groups to tell their own story,

to provide warmth for their families and to empower them with a voice through cloth,” Mazloomi said.

Quilts were chosen as the exhibit’s visual medium, because they highlight the intersection of African Americans in the Western frontier with the art form’s important role in African American history. For African American women, quilts have always been at the core of artistic expression, taking form in their social, economic and spiritual lives.

Amanda Meeker, the museum’s executive director, spoke about these quilts.

“The quilts themselves are works of art, with elaborate materials and intricate details,” she said. “The artistic and narrative elements of the quilts come together to create a powerful visual history lesson that we hope will leave visitors with an expanded view of Black history and American history.”

For more information about this exhibit, visit www. CaliforniaMuseum.org/BlackPioneers.

625 Florin Road (adjacent to Kennedy High in Greenhaven/Pocket)

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‘Black Pioneers’ exhibit presented at California Museum

Eric Larsen makes a fashion statement at pickleball game at Lewis Park.