This is an article that appeared in the Toronto Star from our friends at Midland Pickleball:
There’s something magical about Pickleball — that you can have a 30-year-old and an 80-year-old playing the same game at the same time.” ~ Rusty Howes, creator, executive producer and on-air host of the Pickleball Channel at pickleballchannel.com.
“The elder could be the favourite. It is also a game that is not male dominated; women can hold their own in this sport! Now retired, I should mention my wife loves the sport, not to play it, but because it gets me out of her space five days a week. Now when we plan vacations, the location of the nearest Pickleball court is a major consideration”
“A pickleball acquaintance made pickleball a vacation destination while traveling. He and his wife spent two weeks stopping every second day at a different place to play pickleball. Pickleball at Destin FL is popular and RV Parks are nearby. We will be heading to Bonita Springs FL in our Campervan in January for three months where I play five days a week.” ~ Garry Morehouse
Pickleball is a meld of ping pong, tennis, and badminton. A small wiffle-type ball, large paddle, a net that almost touches the ground and a badminton-size court are the only things required. According to the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA), the game was invented in 1965 by friends Joel Pritchard, congressman from Washington State, and Bill Bell, successful businessman, to counteract their families’ summertime boredom.
Barney McCallum friend and neighbour who helped develop the game’s rules, holds that this peculiar sport earned its name from “Pickles,” the founder’s dog which would run after the ball but according to Joel Pritchard’s wife Joan, she started calling the game pickleball because “the combination of different sports reminded me of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.”
Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in North America with over 4,000 places to play. See www.usapa.org.
The same seems to hold true in Midland, Ontario, a town in the ‘Heart of Georgian Bay’ with a population of approximately 17,000 located 50 kms from Barrie. Indoor Pickleball is offered five days a week. In addition, plans are underway to establish four dedicated outdoor Pickleball courts at Tiffin Park in the Spring of 2016.
One of the Club’s goals is to make Midland a Pickleball destination. Since many snowbirds search for winter destinations wherePickleball is played it was thought that the same might hold true for summer destinations. To that end, plans are underway to establish four dedicated outdoor Pickleball courts at Tiffin Park in the Spring of 2016.
In August 2016 Midland will host the Ontario 55+ Provincial Games. Pickleball players from all across Ontario will have the opportunity of playing at our Pickleball facilities.. We are looking forward to sharing our hospitality with all the participants.
Fun, exciting and a good work out too! This effectively sums up what Pickleball is and explains how its popularity has boomed in the last several years. It’s a sport that can be played by any age group, any gender and any skill level. It is a social, recreational and competive game.
For more information visit the Midland Area Pickleball Club (MAP) at: http://www.
For places to play in Ontario visit the Pickleball Association of Ontario at https://pickleballontario.org
Submitted by Garry Morehouse,
Midland Area Pickleball Club