The Saugeen Times

Game of Pickleball has hit Bruce County - with correct schedule
for Kincardine

Sports

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The game of Pickleball has hit Bruce County and is now being played in Kincardine, Tobermory, Sauble Beach, Hepworth, Wiarton, Lorne Beach, Owen Sound and several other communities.

Pickleball does not require great strength or athletic prowess. It's a combination of tennis and badminton that's gaining popularity with physically-active seniors.

"It's a great game for the senior crowd," says John Kesteloot, chairman of the Grey Bruce 55+ Senior Games. "You can play this with your children and grandchildren."

The game was invented almost 50 years ago in the backyard of United States Congressman Joel Pritchard of Seattle. In 1965, Pritchard, a friend and their families improvised a game on a badminton court at Pritchard's home using sawed-off badminton rackets and a lightweight perforated plastic ball to replace their damaged badminton equipment.

Pritchard's dog, "Pickles," liked to run off with the loose balls, inspiring a name for the new game. Pritchard and his partners formed Pickleball Inc. several years later.

A Pickleball court is the same size as a conventional badminton doubles court with a three-foot-high net. Players volley the ball or play it off the bounce and serve it with overgrown Ping Pong paddles. Singles or doubles teams can play Pickleball.

The game is easy to learn and fun to play. It's similar to Ping Pong in that people can pick it up quickly and become very good and skillful, and they can have fun right away.

April 27, the Kincardine seniors group is holding its 55+ Club Spring Breakout where instructors will teach how to referee the games, said Kesteloot. This will be held in the new gym.

It's a good aerobic activity, played on a smaller-sized court, so players do not have to run all over the place for the ball. Also, the air catches the ball and slows it down, so rallies can go a lot longer than in tennis.