By Carol Doughty
In order to play outdoor pickleball on unused tennis courts, some people need to draw the pickleball lines on with chalk each time they go to the courts.
Here’s a RECIPE for LIQUID CHALK that can be made easily before you go. (The lines may not be perfectly even, but you will have guide lines, at least.) Note: This chalk disappears with the first rainfall!
It’s so much easier than bending down and drawing on the lines. You stand up and squeeze the bottle while walking along! You can chalk a court in about 3 minutes and save your back!
(Kids love helping out with this!)
RECIPE FOR LIQUID CHALK
NEEDED: 3 empty squeeze type plastic bottles – per court being chalked- I used the ones from the dishwashing liquids. Don’t worry about leaving some soap in the bottles. The soap helps to get rid of the chalk lines later on.
INGREDIENTS: corn starch ( the cheapest you can find), water, and food colouring (yellow/blue/orange works best)
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large bowl or large mixing cup with spout, mix equal parts of corn starch and water. Stir with forks. Be sure to get all the corn starch blended.
Add food colouring to tint it. Stir in well.
Pour mixture into plastic squeeze bottles. Shake.
NOTE: It’s best to make this just before you go because the corn starch settles and it is hard to mix it up again.
(We learned the hard way!)
When you get to the courts, while pacing out the dimensions ( 20 feet by 22 feet and 7 feet from the net for the NVL) give some short squeezes of the liquid chalk to act as guidelines for the centre line, the NVL, the side lines, and the serving line; then, just walk along squeezing the bottle while the liquid chalk comes out and completes all the lines.
Have fun lining your outdoor courts while saving your back for the thing you want to do most: play pickleball.