In case you’ve been living in a cave for the past three years, the newest sports craze sweeping the nation is something called pickleball.
Nope, it has nothing to do with dill, kosher or sweet. In fact, the name has nothing to do with the delicacy at all, at least if you listen to the so-called pickleball historians. And, no, it isn’t new, either. Our fearless leader at Chambanamoms says she was playing pickleball in grade school and, well, we’re not going to give away her age, but let’s just say that decade has an 8 in it.
Pickleball’s roots date to the 1960 yet the sport really didn’t take hold until the pandemic era. While it began to pick up steam in the late 2010s, pickleball jumped into the nation’s consciousness during the pandemic, offering exercise-seekers a chance to get some fresh air while staying socially distanced from family and friends. Thus, a boom was created.
So we’re here to answer: What exactly is pickleball, why is it so popular, and how can you get in on the action?
What is it?
In simplest terms, pickleball is similar to tennis but on a smaller court. You have paddles, a ball and either one or two players on each side of the net.
The scoring is slightly different, as are a handful of rules. But the gist is the same: Make the ball bounce twice on the opponent’s side of the net.
One of the main appeals of pickleball — relative to tennis espeically — is that the court is much smaller, which means those who might have physical infirmities face lesser stress. Conditioning is less of a factor.
Where to play?
Champaign-Urbana has an growing number of pickleball courts. Centennial Park in Champaign has an eight-court complex, with no membership required to Champaign Park District. The district’s Martens Center and Leonhard Recreation Center offer indoor courts during open gym times. Clark Park has two courts, Hessel Park has six and Sunset Ridge Park has one. The park district also offers leagues for various skill levels.
The Stephens Family YMCA has an active group of pickleball players. Ages 50+ who are members can play for free ($10 for non-members) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
The Savoy Recreation Center has four indoor courts. Burwash Park also has four courts.
Urbana Park District’s Brookens Gym has offered times dedicated to pickleball on a seasonal basis. Courts are also available at Blair Park.
How do I get started?
Get your equipment. You can find a set of two pickleball rackets on Amazon for $37, and you can get a set of balls for $12-15. Relative to most other sports, pickleball is not expensive.
Check out this Facebook page dedicated to pickleball players in C-U and Savoy. Players often post when and where they’re playing, and at least one post mentions what newcomers should do if they’re interested in getting involved in the local pickleball scene.
Any drawbacks?
A few, but the biggest complaint typically emanates from people who aren’t playing the game. It has to do with that infamous sound — thwack! thwack! — caused by the paddles striking the ball. It seems that a plastic ball hitting a fiberglass paddle makes a sound that not everyone is in love with.
And then there are the injuries, which CNN says cost Americans nearly $400 million annually. Hey, it is a physical activity, after all.