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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

VOL. 34 NO. 13 www.presspubs.com $1.00

CENTENNIAL MIDDLE SCHOOL: New learning hub. PAGE 20

Pickleball swings into town BY SARA MARIE MOORE STAFF WRITER

SUBMITTED

Rick Rossiter showcases a race car kit which demonstrates the scientific relationships between kinetic energy and friction.

‘Wizard’ scientist visits local schools

BY JOLENE FRID CONTRIBUTING WRITER

CIRCLE PINES — Rick Rossiter is a wizard, but

not the kind you might think. A Corporate Research Analyst for 3M, he’s also part of the 3M team

known as “Visiting Wizards,” staff who travel to schools and other organizations to demonstrate to kids how

exciting and fascinating science can be. “We do it to show kids SEE WIZARD, PAGE 3

Ice rinks open BY JULIE KINK CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Area ice rinks are flooded and ready for winter gliding fun. Ever since people have strapped animal bones to their ankles to glide on frozen ponds, Minnesotans have loved ice skating. Forget, for a moment, poor Lidwina, the patron saint of ice skaters who’s said to have been ice skating when she fell and broke a rib back in 1395. These days, there are plenty of safe, enjoyable places both indoors and out to practice this favorite frozen pastime. With eight sheets of ice under one roof, the Schwan Super Rink at Blaine’s National Sports Center hosts youth hockey, high school hockey, figure skating, short-track speed skating, broomball and open public skating. As the largest ice SUBMITTED

Children enjoy skating at a local Lino Lakes ice rink.

SEE ICE RINKS, PAGE 3

er t n i W “ ials Spec ble!” Availa

Centennial Community Education is joining the pickleball craze come February. Adult classes will be offered Monday and Wednesday nights at Centennial High School. Centennial elementary physical education teacher Jennifer Verplaetse will be teaching the class. She has taught physical education for 13 years in the Centennial district and taught pickleball as a unit while teaching at Centennial High School. Pickleball is a combination of pingpong, tennis and badminton. “It is like playing a giant-sized version of ping-pong, as if you got to stand on the ping-pong table,” said Verplaetse. “I have always loved this game and am excited to teach it again. The game of pickleball can be a great cardio workout, if you get into it, much like tennis. It is also a great game to work on agility and coordination.” Pickleball has exploded in popularity over the last several years but was invented in 1965 by three dads trying to curb their children's boredom on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The invention was basically an accident, according the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA). Joel Pritchard, a congressman, handed the children ping-pong paddles and a wiffle ball to play on an old

badminton court in his backyard after he couldn't find enough badminton equipment. The children were no longer bored. Pritchard and two of his friends, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, eventually developed rules and equipment for the game. The scoring rules are based mostly off badminton, and the dads kept them simple. A larger paddle than a ping-pong paddle was developed, first out of wood. Today, paddles are made out of lightweight materials such as aluminum and graphite. Different ball models are available for indoor or outdoor play. An official pickleball court was eventually built in the yard of a neighbor of Pritchards, Bob O'Brian. Official pickleball courts are now located in all 50 states but the game can also be played on a badminton or modified tennis court. A pickleball court is the same size as a doubles badminton court. The game can be played singles or doubles. The net height is 34 inches in the middle and 36 inches at the sidelines The court is striped with right and left service courts and a has a 7-foot non-volley zone in front of the net, which is referred to as the “kitchen.” The court is about one-third the size of a tennis court and the ball travels at onethird the speed of a tennis ball. The shorter court SEE PICKLEBALL, PAGE 3

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