Medford seniors can play pickleball on courts that opened in 2023 at Freedom Park. Players there include Bob Martin (front, left to right), Allyse Mitchell, BettyAnn German, Tom Connors and Chris Branin (rear).
Fun.
That’s the word most often used by pickleball players to describe the popular paddle sport. Known as a combination of tennis, badminton and ping pong, the game now has its own observance, National Pickleball Day, on Aug. 8, that reflects its enormous popularity.
“As for why pickleball is so popular, it’s often described as easy to learn but hard to master,” offered Kristen Clemmer, owner and instructor at Tristen Pickleball. “People can jump into a game and have fun on day one, but the competitive ceiling is high enough to keep players engaged and improving for years. It’s also one of the rare sports where people of all ages and skill levels can enjoy playing together.
“The game itself may look a little different depending on who’s on the court, but it’s always accessible and always fun.”
Tristen Pickleball is a sub-contractor hired by pickleball clubs throughout New Jersey to provide training in the sport, according to Clemmer. One of her students, Laura Zinn Fromm, started playing pickleball in 2023.
“I love how fast and fun the games are,” she enthused. “I played tennis as a kid and though I like it, nothing compares to the intensity and brevity of pickleball games. It’s also a nice way to meet new people.”
According to Pickleheads.com, the game is played with a flat paddle, similar to an oversized ping-pong paddle. The ball is lightweight, made from perforated plastic, has holes and is rallied across a low net. Typically played in doubles, pickleball differs from tennis in that the net is lower – by 2 inches – and scoring is different.
Because pickleball is a doubles game, it offers social advantages as well as physical and mental benefits. Medford senior citizens can be found on pickleball courts that opened in 2023 at Freedom Park.
“Most people come to play and love being outside and active and social,” explained Allyse Mitchell, a volunteer with the Medford Senior Center and program coordinator of the senior pickleball group. “It’s challenging to the mind.”
The core group of senior players started out with just four participants and has grown to 65 pickleball enthusiasts, according to Mitchell. As for the interest in pickleball among seniors, Mitchell calls it “a curiosity first.”
That curiosity is sweeping the state – with pickleball courts provided in multiple towns – and all ages are getting in on the game.
Pickleball was invented in the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, Washington, by three friends who sought to play badminton but couldn’t find enough racquets, according to the Professional Pickleball Association Tour website (www.ppatour.com).
They found two ping pong paddles and a whiffle ball, which they used to volley over a 60-inch high badminton net. The friends found that the ball – a plastic version of a baseball – had good bounce on an asphalt surface. So they decided to lower their net all the way to the ground (36 inches at the ends and 34 inches at the center) and allow the ball to be played off the bounce.
As for the origin of the name pickleball, one of the friends’ wives is credited with naming the sport after the pickle boat in rowing, a vessel made of mismatched rowers.
“Pickleball is fun at any level,” observed Anthony Ventura, owner of Players Courtyard Pickleball Club in Moorestown. “You don’t have to get good to have fun.”
