Don’t step in the kitchen, it’s pickleball time
“Pickleball is one of the few sports where you can be a 70-year-old woman and beat a 25-year-old man,” Instructor Doug Oliver said. “You don’t have to have power. You just have to be able to hit a ball in a good place.”
August 9 was National Pickleball Day, dedicated to one of the country’s fastest growing recreational sports. Pickleball was first invented in Bainbridge Island, Washington, in 1965 by a group of men looking for a game to play with their families. According to legend, it was named ‘pickleball’ because a dog named ‘Pickles’ would chase the out-of-bounds balls. Popularity hit all-time highs during the backend of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pickleball involves striking a light weight, perforated ball that resembles a wiffle ball with a rectangular paddle with a long handle, similar to a tennis racquet without the springs. The rules draw from a combination of different sports including tennis, badminton and ping pong. The small court, slower moving ball and requirement for underhand serving make the sport less physically taxing to play.
Mr. Oliver started playing pickleball 10 years ago and has since become an instructor at the Georgetown Recreation Center. He loves playing the sport so much that he stopped in five different cities on a week-long road trip to play. Years ago, he even played in Quebec, “and I don't speak French,” he said.
Susan Hartsfield and Paula Rowe are two of Mr. Oliver’s students. Ms. Rowe first learned about pickleball in 2020, when looking for an outdoor social activity during the Covid pandemic.
“Plus [I get] exercise and I love to be outside,” Ms. Rowe said. “You know it makes you feel young and real competitive”
Despite having no experience playing similar sports, Ms. Rowe was able to pick up pickleball very easily. She found the players to be welcoming and friendly. The groups vary on how competitive they are, she said.
Ms. Hartsfield said she got into pickleball when she and her husband were about to hit retirement.
“I didn’t want to be a couch potato in the evenings,” she explained. “[My husband] was a racquetball player when he was younger. I was a tennis player when I was [in my twenties]. I was trying to find something we could do together so that's what attracted me to pickleball.”
Ms. Hartsfield said that pickle ball is more social and light hearted than tennis.
“You don’t even know that you’re exercising,” she said.
She injured her shoulder when she used to play tennis. She said that pickle ball doesn’t affect this injury since serving is done underhand.
“Golf is a life leisure sport, just like Pickleball is,” she said, noting that the sport is more accessible and family-oriented than golf. “My husband and I can come out here [and play] with our son and his wife and their two little kids.”
Hitting home
There are multiple pickle ball groups in Georgetown. Many people get started by visiting the Georgetown Recreation Center or the Georgetown Tennis Center.
The Team Reach app allows players to join group chats of different local groups, with teams broken down by skill level. There are 1,300 members for the group at the McMaster Athletic Complex. Then, there are many other groups with hundreds of people.
For those who are less technologically advanced, the easiest way to get started is to call the Georgetown Recreational Center. There are instructors who teach at the center and at other courts around Georgetown. At the Georgetown Rec Center, they have pickleball paddles and balls for people to use. There is no special attire necessary and regular athletic shoes can be worn.
Where to play pickleball in Georgetown:
Georgetown Recreation Center has temporary nets on the indoor basketball court. 512-930-3596, 1003 North Austin Avenue.
Georgetown Tennis Center has outdoor courts with lights. 512-931-2444, 400 Serenada Drive.
McMaster Athletic Complex has outdoor courts with lights. 512-930-3596, 101 WL Walden Drive
Tejas Pickleball Club, opening in mid-August on the Northwest side of Georgetown, will have an indoor pickleball court facility.
For Sun City residents, the community offers the Texas Drive pickleball court at 1410 Sun City Boulevard, courts at the Retreat at 1220 Cattleman Drive, and the North Point Courts at 700 County Road 245. Rules and guidelines can be found on Sun City’s website.