Pickled Pastime
Last updated Tuesday, November 4, 2008 4:53 PM CST in Sports
By Josh Souza
SPECIAL TO THE MORNING NEWS
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SPRINGDALE -- An old game has gained new life in Northwest Arkansas, and it may be one that most have never even heard of.
"Pickleball," a game created near Seattle in the summer of 1965, has made its way to the Natural State, thanks to the efforts of the Springdale Youth Center, which has been offering the game up to three times a week for more than six years.
"They have been playing pickleball for as long as I've been here," said Rick McWhorter of the Springdale Youth Center. "It is a great sport, and it is easy to learn, but man it can be a workout.
"I am an avid marathon runner, and consider myself to be in pretty good shape, but the first time I played pickleball, I couldn't even move the next day," added McWhorter. "Those (old guys) ran me all over the court. It is a great way to stay in shape and have fun at the same time."
The game itself can best be described as a cross between tennis and badminton, with a few twists of its own thrown into the mix. According to the United States Pickleball Association's official website (www.usapa.org), the game is rumored to have gotten its strange name from a family dog named "Pickles," who would notoriously chase and hide the plastic balls used to play the game.
What started out as "Pickle's Ball" was eventually shortened to the name it goes by today. Since its creation in the mid-60s, pickleball has grown into a nationally recognized sport, with official rules, national rankings, and independent clubs, like the Springdale Youth Center's, all over the world.
"We try to meet up to three times a week and we encourage everyone to come out and play," McWhorter said. "Even though we have a consistent group of seniors who play each week, we have had some of our teenagers play as well, and they got worked over pretty good. This game is much tougher than it looks."
According to the USPA official rulebook, pickleball courts are 44 feet long and 20 feet wide. The nets are only 2 and one-half feet tall, the balls are plastic Whiffle-type balls similar to practice golf balls. The paddles are similar to table tennis paddles.
"Out here, we play the first team to 11 points wins," McWhorter said. "We try to keep the games moving, and get as many people in as we can, so that anyone who wants to try it can."
Just like any sport, pickleball comes with its own jargon as well. Some typical lingo may include: "carry" (any hitting of the ball that doesn't result in the ball leaving the paddle surface), "dink-shot" (a short, arching shot meant to land in a no-volley zone), "groundstroke" (hitting the ball after it has bounced once), or "smash" (a hard hitting, overhand return, usually following a lob).
The Springdale club meets on Mondays and Fridays from 9-11 a.m. There is also a group of pickleballers in Bella Vista, and you can find out more on that group by contacting LeRoy or Ann Mallard at (479) 855-1226, or Marc or Alice Whittlesey at (479) 876-1128, or visit the group's web site at www.bvpickleball.com.
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