Everyone Prefers Pickleball: ​If you weren't sure and really wanted to test the theory, try giving your Golden Retriever (or any pet) a choice - Chucker ball (even the one that whistles) or a Pickleball. When she/he chooses a Pickleball like Gracie did here, in a fully transparent and objective International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) sanctioned test, then you know for sure that Pickleball is the sport of choice for everyone!!


The Golden Retriever "standard test" is in my opinion an appropriate one since popular folklore (at least the one I support for obvious reasons) is that the name of the game originally came from the co-founder's Golden called Pickle, who always stole the ball. Not knowing what to call this game they invented, they decided to call it Pickleball in honour of their pet and a new obsession was "unleashed" on us!

2022 marks Pickleball's 57th anniversary where every State in the US and every Canadian Province now have multiple venues totalling approximately 1100 locations, adding 70+ every month in 2021 alone. This has resulted in a growth rate of 39.3% over 2 years, which prompted the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) in it's February 2022 Topline Participation Report to pronounce that Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the US (and Canada?).

Pickleball is ready for prime time. A recent story by Todd Plummer published originally in the NY Times, talks about the fact that he has found from his research (separate from my canine research) that Pickleball is ready for prime time and everyone is trying it. Besides Leonardo DiCaprio as reported by Vanity Fair, celebs like Ellen Degeneres, Reese Witherspoon, Kim Kardashian and George Clooney (with his own home court as discussed in a previous blog), Canadian actor Matthew Perry, and even Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) have this healthy addiction. But it's not just the celebs who are driving participation in this sport!

Why is everyone giving Pickleball a try? Its appeal is that it is a combination of all the racquet sports that we love and probably have participated in at one time or another - tennis, badminton, squash and even ping pong. The court is smaller than a tennis court so not as much territory to cover. The ball is easy to hit, but with practice and skill, can be made to be much more difficult to return. Rules are simple (but scoring is probably not). Pickleball can be played inside or outside, singles or doubles (our educated guess is that approx 90% of the recreational games are doubles), mixed or not, and only a paddle and plastic ball needed if you have the court - or bring one with you via a portable net. And finally, doubles play can be as mind bending and strategic as a chess match as you improve.

And the best part as far as I'm concerned is that Pickleball's avid followers are a very friendly group, social and multi-generational. Find a court where there is a group playing (the joyous sounds will lead you there as the neighbours go in the opposite direction), and you will be invited to join! Meet new friends and be prepared to have fun and laugh no matter whether you win or lose (changing partners is one of the best Pickleball game levellers), make great shots or not, and the best long lasting result is leading a healthy and social lifestyle. A responsible pint or glass of your favourite red or white after is fun too!

Any Age can play. One of my granddaughters recently arrived early to watch one of our matches. I had a spare racquet and she asked to have a hit. To my absolute surprise at 8 years  young, within 10 minutes she was hitting regular shots with precision and pace consistently over the net - and scoring points! I'd better get some more lessons from Steve (Deakin) soon.

​Anyone can play and enjoy this sport, so why don't you try it? Even your canine friends recommend it. 

This is a Chartwell Group Blog coming to you for Valentine's Day as we do LOVE this sport! Since there are several "pestiferous" misconceptions about this tremendously popular and addictively fun sport, i cover the first 4 of 10 Myths in this blog, with more to come. Some data and content courtesy of Pickleball Guide  and Pickleball USA...

Myth #1 - My Favourite - Pickleball is only for old people

One of the most prevalent Pickleball misconceptions is that only older folks who are long past their physical (knee, hip, elbow, hands, eyes, brain...) warranties, settle for the slower pace of Pickleball. Not so!! In fact the average age of North American players last year was 47.5 for core players and 33.6 years for casual players.


This is best exemplified by a recent visit to a Milton Ontario Pickleball Association social round robin with my son. Looking at the truly mixed retirement and younger crowd, we thought that they would be easy pickings. However, we didn't win a single game so remember that old adage - don't judge a book by it's cover!! Pickleball is for everyone - young and old, athletically talented or not so much, families and singles, men, women and kids of all shapes and sizes! Myth #4 below touches on this counterpoint as well.

Myth #2 – Pickleball Doesn’t Require Much Movement or Skill

Not the case! If you have played at any level you know that Pickleball is a mix of chess in terms of placement, planning and strategy, and athletics with physical  movement at all times and in every direction. The more you play and improve, the more there is to learn which is a challenge that makes it so much fun. You have to anticipate an opponent's shots, move quickly to the "kitchen" (front no-volley area on your side) or run back to counter a volley or lob, or side to side as your opponent tries to move you uncomfortably to all the extreme edges of the court. We measure 875 to 1,000 calories per 2 hour doubles matches depending on level of play. Makes room for a couple of pints or glasses of Pinot Grigio after!

Myth #3 – Pickleball isn’t Competitive

Again not true!! Mostly a doubles game, things can get really competitive at any level and mix of players, especially in doubles play as there are twice the number of players to keep up with and half the room to move around. An intense pickleball rally can last for literally hundreds of shots, 75 - 80% played at/in the "kitchen" (higher level of player required!) until someone hits an attackable ball, then things open up with fierce volley's back and forth. Ask World ranked #5 and proud Canadian Steve Deakin if the game is competitive? Obvious answer here is an emphatic "yes". Major competition has just begun to open up with: Pickleball professional leagues such as APP, PPA and MLP with world level competitive athletes; new dedicated expansive facilities everywhere; tournament coverage including streaming services and YouTube; many clinics for beginners and advanced players online or in person; and, major sponsors such as Head introducing new technologies. Given Pickleball is "TV friendly" much like tennis is (and squash is not) and fun to watch, I predict that Pickleball's growth momentum will exponentially increase in the future.

Myth #4 – The More Athletic Players Always Win

At a recent Hollyburn Country Club tournament, my partner and I came up against a 9 and 13 year old boys team who had made it into the final rounds. My partner was taking it easy at first (to be polite) and they were winning - with an audience of friends and family gathered to watch these seniors get beaten up by young boys of our grandkids' age! I am guessing that only our experience and "maturity" won the day in the end...for at least this year.

Therefore, the required elements of Pickleball call for a wide range of strategies which allow players of different ages and athletic ability to excel. Ball speed is a great example. The Pickleball Guide says that a tennis ball can reach speeds of up to 163 miles per hour (262 km/hr) while in play, but pickle balls move significantly slower, with the hardest shots moving at only around 30-40 miles per hour (48 to  64 km/hr). This more relaxed pace might seem to suggest that Pickleball is easy, but the reality is that slowing things down forces you to nail your timing, hit with precision, and get into a solid rhythm. If you can’t do those things, you’re as good as pickled! It’s not at all unheard of for veteran pickleball players to take younger and fitter "bangers", but less experienced players, to the cleaners with relative ease...after realizing that they need to be strategic as the above example shows!

​These are my first 4 of 10 Pickleball myths​ especially made for Valentine's Day 2022 and our love of the game, with another 6 to come so stay tuned!

I suggest that you don't cross those Pickleball enthusiasts as they come in great numbers, with lots of enthusiasm, and have convincing arguments! Especially during the Olympics or the Super Bowl when great sports are top of mind.

Backstory is that the Municipal Council from West Vancouver (a municipality on the North Shore, Vancouver BC) double backflipped (appropriate only during the Olympics) on a prior vote to close the Pickleball courts at 29th Street. First of all voting to wait until new ones were built...then voting to wait for temporary ones...then deciding not to provide any temporary relief at all. This lack of decision efficiency and flip-flopping all at taxpayers expense and much to the chagrin of local Pickleball players.

Thankfully, they had a change of heart merely 2 weeks later and voted again to provide temporary courts in another area (currently with tennis courts) until permanent Pickleball courts are built. North Shore News says that after "getting their hands whacked with a Pickleball paddle" they returned to vote on the original proposal - and passed it unanimously! That "whacking" came from local Pickleball groups and influencers including but not limited to West Van Players, Coun. Bill Soprovich, Coun. Norma Gambioli and Mayor Mary-Ann Booth.

Moral of the story - don't mess with Pickleball Players and their courts or you'll get in a pickle (Olympic snowboarding halfpipe term)!

West Vancouver pickleballers are giving council a paddling after a vote to close the only dedicated outdoor courts in the municipality without a promised replacement, says the North Shore News recently. Richard Thorpe, Sandy Tambosso, and Reg Allen stand at the soon-to-be-closed 29th Street pickleball courts in West Vancouver. 


“We've spent way too much time and staff time and energy and money on this pickleball issue...I just don't think we can afford to keep playing Whack a Mole with pickleball, to mix sporting metaphors,” said Council member Craig Cameron.

Really?? Whack a Mole is a sport? Too much time spent investigating, too noisy, no budget, no place far enough away from residents? Ever been outside Rogers Arena during a rock concert which is in the middle of one of the most populous areas of Vancouver? Ever listened to CN freight trains as they roll through the North Shore from East to West through housing district after housing district - at night? Should we stop them because of the extreme noise they create (warning horns, steel wheels and corners) while we investigate tunnelling across the North Shore?
​
West Van [Pickleball] Players spokesman Ed Pielak said his group’s members were appalled by the district reneging on their assurances that the 29th Street courts wouldn’t be converted back to tennis until a suitable temporary replacement had been set up.“We're absolutely in shock. We are not going down without a fight. What we want to do is get temporary courts,” he said.

Going back to the 30,000 ft view, seems to me that the overall benefits of Pickleball far outweigh the issues of noise that have now been politicized. One of my recent blogs highlighted some of these advantages so I won't repeat them again here. And yes, technolgy will solve this issue given time and continuing interest in this sport, as quieter rackets have already been introduced, albeit given that they are somewhat more expensive for now.

Not all fun and rewarding outdoor activities come in silence (children's birthday parties, doggy parks and attendant ball throwing, tennis and basketball, boating, car rallies, Ski/Sea-Dooing, school recess & playgrounds...). So I would suggest, let's take a deep breath and embrace change rather than fight the inevitable. Pickleball is here to stay so don't get yourself into a pickle about that - relax and join the crowd especially as summer is coming! You may be surprised how much the "noise" dissipates the more you play.