Last Updated on April 4, 2024
Everyone seems to be playing it these days. Pickleball, that is.
This multi-generational sport now includes more than 36.5 million players in the U.S. according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals 2022 survey. Pickleball was introduced to my husband and me by our teenage grandchildren in 2023; it’s been a big family hit with us all since.
The popularity of this sport (if you’re not yet familiar with it), is that practically anyone can play it. As the fastest-growing sport in America, pickleball is a combination of tennis, badminton and ping pong and was first created in Bainbridge Island, WA by two fathers looking to give their children a new activity incorporating a hodgepodge of other net-related sports.
Reportedly, the name comes from co-founder Joel Pritchard’s dog Pickles who would love to chase the wiffle ball and snatch it from family and friends. A different story claims the name is derived from a rowing competition where a ‘pickle boat’ refers to a motley crew of rowers put together by chance. Often last in their watersport standings, the group consisted of rowers no one wanted on their team.
Whichever story (or combination of stories is true), what is evident is that the sport has caught on like wildfire and you don’t have to be one of the most talented athletes in the world to play it.
Much easier to learn and less physically demanding than tennis since it’s played on a vastly smaller court, pickleball involves a plastic wiffle-like ball hit across a net with paddles shorter and lighter than a tennis racket. Unlike tennis where serves must be overhand, pickleball serves can be either overhand or underhand, though underhand serves are much easier to hit and return.
Pickleball is an inexpensive sport to play, provides an excellent physical and mental workout, and is good for the heart with so many cardio benefits. The game, however, has become much more competitive over the years.
Naples, FL likes to call itself the Pickleball Capital of the World and backs up that claim for 2024 by playing host to the biggest pickleball party in the world, the 8th Annual Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championship.
The event takes place at the East Naples Community Park on April 13 to 23, 2024. Over 3,000 players competed in The OPEN in 2023, with 40,000 people watching, partying, and celebrating alongside. People come to The OPEN from all 50 states and American Samoa. They arrived from 29 countries from Armenia to Zimbabwe, with participants and observers ranging in age from eight to 88.
Tucked in the corner of Southwest Florida, the Naples Pickleball Center is one of the top pickleball facilities in the U.S. and the largest pickleball facility in the country with over 2,200 members and 15,000 annual visitors.
Guests and residents can enjoy a leisurely game with friends, take lessons from an instructor, participate in a pickleball clinic, or watch an ongoing competition. Owner Bob Strommen is also a founder of the National Pickleball League, a nationwide competition for professional pickleball players, which opens its second season in May 2024.
The League will introduce six new teams in cities across the U.S. from Seattle and Houston to Columbus. Apart from the NPC events, players can find courts at destinations like Veterans Community Park, East Naples Community Park, Fleischmann Park, and the Greater Naples YMCA.
So, whether you’re into the sport from a professional standpoint or just enjoy pickleball for the social and health benefits it provides, or you haven’t quite yet tried it, pick up a racket and ball and enjoy America’s fasting growing fun sport.
