Pickleball is growing in popularity on the beach

Author: Bill Sterling

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country, and there is a growing legion of pickleball enthusiasts on the East Coast.

Played on a 20 x 44 inch field of badminton, it combines elements of badminton, ping pong and tennis.

“Think of it as a giant ping pong court,” Mike Bono said recently when he started a clinic at the Eastern Shore Yacht & Country Club, where members have built a regular pickleball court surrounded by a net.

Bono said pickle ball is played on the beach. “There are a large number of players who play on the Wachapreage almost daily by painting rows across the tennis court. In Chincoteage, they play in a multi-purpose building on a tile floor, and Cape Charles has a court drawn on top of a tennis court. I know of one homeowner who has built his own pickle field in his yard, but other than that, I believe this is the only field on the east coast of Virginia built specifically for pickle ball. ”

Bono, a public school teacher who has coached a variety of sports and played tennis on the racetrack, cites the many benefits of pickling.

– Older players like it because there is less running than in tennis. It’s also a happier game, ”Bono said,“ because the players are closer to each other and there’s more discussion. Volleyballs are longer because the ball is slower than in tennis and players have time to react. In tennis, if someone beats you, they say “Good Game,” but in pickle, they usually show you techniques to improve your game. It is also more relaxed than tennis. There is no proper dress – everything goes from T-shirts and shorts to training clothes. ”

Like tennis, two or four players can play using solid paddles and a perforated ball that is just like a whiffle ball. The net is hung 36 inches at the ends and 34 inches in the middle, two inches lower than the tennis net.

The ball is entered by armpit, and points are awarded only for the pass, in which case the player or team first scores 11 points and leads by at least 2 points to the winner. Seven meters from the net is an area that is a non-volleyball area or “kitchen” where the ball cannot be hit until it bounces.

Bono taught the finer points of saltball to six players in the first of two clinics recently at Eastern Shore Yacht & Country Club.

Tori Bloxom said the attraction of the pickle ball to him is to “exercise and meet friends.”

Her husband Bob, who has played tennis all his life, said, “Now that I’m 60, I like that there is less to cover in a pickle ball than in tennis.”

Eve Belote said she’s not very athletic, but enjoys pickles. “I didn’t play tennis and I never felt like I had good hand and eye coordination, but I think I can play salt ball well enough to enjoy the game when I’m with friends.”

Julie Badger said couples and families can enjoy playing pickle ball, which is as much a social time as a sporting activity.

Vince Passione, now 70, considers a salt ball a good habit to stay active and fit, even though he doesn’t have to run as much as tennis demands.

His wife Jo Anne said, “I like that the games go pretty fast and you can change partners and form different teams.”

Bono strongly believes in stretching before starting the game. “You have to do jumps or foot pumps to loosen your muscles before you jump on the field and play,” Bono said.

Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, Wash., When three fathers – whose children were tired of their usual summer activities – created the game.

At first, they used homemade equipment to improvise ping-pong paddles and a perforated ball, but as the game progressed, saltball equipment was standardized.

“It’s like any sport where you can spend more if you want,” Bono said. “The first paddle was $ 20, and now I have one that cost $ 120. You can feel the difference.”

.