OT: Pickleball Fever: anyone here catch it?

[Louis]

One might say that tennis is to pickleball as road riding is to MTBs.

Happily roads aren't converted directly to MTB trails.

[Doug Fattic]

Niles, Michigan has done a nice job with different play areas its city parks including 8 tennis courts in 2 enclosures. Recently they replaced one of those sets of 4 tennis courts with 10 pickle ball courts. They were asphalt which they removed and put down cement and then to my surprise laid a new layer of asphalt over the cement. They are beautiful courts now! Interestingly I have yet to see anybody use them when i have gone by. Niles is a blue collar town of about 15,000. I guess the word hasn't gotten to us how popular this sport is.

There is even a company in Niles - Paddletex - that sells pickelball paddles and apparel.

I played a lot of tennis (and ping pong) starting in grade school and continued in high school and college and beyond. I'm surprised tennis is popular with very many people. It takes a certain amount of skill to enjoy as well as challenging to find someone of about equal ability. It isn't all that much fun to always win or lose and be constantly fetching the balls.

Here is a picture of our new and still unused pickelball courts right next to our bike path.

[Plum Hill]

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/pickle...s-the-country/

An old cycling friend hasn’t been on his bike in five years; hasn’t licensed his fishing kayak trailer in two years; no longer hikes. He’s been lost to pickleball, which he plays six days a week.

[B4_Ford]

An acquaintance referred to it as Pickled Ball, due to she and her friends drinking before and while playing.


I have bad ideas…

[Plum Hill]

Originally Posted by B4_Ford

An acquaintance referred to it as Pickled Ball, due to she and her friends drinking before and while playing.

That sounds like the proper way to ride bikes by some people in my town.
The Jaycees had a bar bike ride. Participation was down to 700 this year. Massive alcohol consumption; consuming while riding; people crashing into and off of curbs, along with straight sections of roads; adults seen imbibing while pedaling with a kid on the bike; ad nauseam. Nice wholesome family entertainment.

[72gmc]

I just channel surfed past CBS and saw … a televised pickleball match??

[Louis]

Originally Posted by 72gmc

I just channel surfed past CBS and saw … a televised pickleball match??

Only a matter of time until Vegas starts taking bets on the outcome.

[54ny77]

Haha....the cornhole world championships gets more tv time stateside than cycling world champs or any other big bike races!

Originally Posted by 72gmc

I just channel surfed past CBS and saw … a televised pickleball match??

[merlinmurph]

Originally Posted by B4_Ford

An acquaintance referred to it as Pickled Ball, due to she and her friends drinking before and while playing.


I have bad ideas…

Similarly, friends play platform tennis (a.k.a. paddle tennis) which seems to have similar requirements.

[merckxman]

My hulu stream has a tile for the live Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships on ESPN.
Wow, that sport moved up quickly.

[Doug Fattic]

My wife and I went today to buy each other pickelball paddles and accessories for Christmas. They make the Pickeltex brand of paddles right in our home town of Niles Michigan. Apparently this is a very popular brand and they sell their paddles throughout the world. The place where they make them is just a couple of miles from our house and right off of the bike path that goes to Notre Dame University. It is located in with storage units so obviously retail sales based on location, location, location is not one of their concerns.

One of the big advantages of buying right at their factory is that we could get 50% off for their slightly blemished seconds. At half price mine cost $65 and my wife's $45. I could hardly notice the reason they were seconds. Some of the coloring was off just a tiny bit. Here is their wall of seconds to choose from. It is a bewildering array of slightly different paddles designed for control or power or both.

[metalheart]

Which paddle did you get? I'm shopping for one.

I've transitioned from being a sometimes fourth for my wife's group and borrowing a paddle to taking lessons and playing with other folks. I enjoy the game and social part of PB and I'm sore in places I have not been in a long time, so it's working for me as a fun activity.

[steelbikerider]

If you have played other raquet sports, google pickleball paddles for .......... players. You will probably play the same type of game and that will help you you decide. Determine if you are a power hitter, placement, spin etc. Shape also is a factor. finally, get one that looks good to you.

[metalheart]

Originally Posted by steelbikerider

If you have played other raquet sports, google pickleball paddles for .......... players. You will probably play the same type of game and that will help you you decide. Determine if you are a power hitter, placement, spin etc. Shape also is a factor. finally, get one that looks good to you.

I forgot all I ever knew about squash, my only other racquet sport experience, but I'm definitely a power type player, no subtly to my game: hit it hard and hope for the best. Maybe I will look for one with rim brakes....

[Waldo62]

Pickleball -- the sport that lets you avoid hitting your weakest shot -- high backhand.