Anna Leigh Waters, 15, Wins 15th Singles Title. Baird Wealth Management Open September 2022
Washington Post
MASON, Ohio — The public address announcer’s voice boomed as balls flew amid the chaotic symphony of plastic pops and thwacks. So many greats had played and won here at the Lindner Family Tennis Center outside of Cincinnati: McEnroe and Agassi, Djokovic and Federer, Nadal and Serena. But center court was suddenly the stage for something very different.
“We love tennis, and this is an incredible tennis facility,” the announcer bellowed, “but for today we are piiiiickleball!”
All eyes were on Anna Leigh Waters, 15, and Ben Johns, 23, a mixed doubles team and perhaps the brightest stars in the rapidly expanding pickleball universe, phenoms changing the way the game is played and perceived. Competing in the Baird Wealth Management Open, one of the biggest events staged by the Professional Pickleball Association, Waters and Johns are torchbearers for a young sport with a future as promising as it is unpredictable.
Quaint and complex, the game has been likened to chess on concrete and is most commonly compared to tennis, badminton and table tennis. It also has exploded into a big business with no shortage of deep-pocketed investors and eager opportunists. (Read More)
Many racket sports have a steep learning curve, even at the beginner level. “In tennis, the balls are all over the place,” said Ernie Medina Jr., an assistant professor of public health at Loma Linda University and pickleball coach who was introduced to the game in 2016 by his mother.
“In pickleball, you’re hitting a plastic wiffle-like ball, so it’s less bouncy and doesn’t fly as fast through the air. And the paddle is much easier to handle because it’s shorter and lighter than a tennis racket.” You also serve underhand in pickleball, and underhand serves are easier to hit and return.
It’s a good workout. (No, really.)
Yes, pickleball has a low barrier to entry. But that doesn’t mean it’s a walk in the park.
In one of the few studies that’s been done on pickleball, researchers found that compared to walking at a self-selected pace for half an hour, people who played doubles pickleball for half an hour had 14 percent higher heart rates and burned 36 percent more calories. Another study from Western Colorado University found that picklers averaged a heart rate of 109 beats per minute and burned 354 calories per hour, which qualifies it as a moderate-intensity workout alongside hiking, yoga and water aerobics. The players also saw significant improvements in their cholesterol levels, blood pressure and maximal oxygen uptake, a measure of cardiovascular fitness, after playing for an hour every other day for six weeks. (Read More)
Chances are, you already know someone who’s an avid pickleball player. America’s fastest-growing sport—a cross between tennis, badminton, and ping-pong—can be played as either a singles or doubles game, though doubles is typically more popular. Points can only be accrued by the side that’s serving, and the winner is the first side to get to 11 points and be leading by at least two.
Invented in 1965 in Bainbridge Island, Washington, pickleball has gained popularity during the pandemic, growing 14.8% between 2020 and 2021. According to the 2022 Sports & Fitness Industry report, more than half (52%) of core players—those who play eight or more times a year—are 55 or older, and almost a third (32.7%) are 65-plus. (Read More)
An entertaining and comprehensive look at America’s fastest growing sport, Pickleball for All is the ultimate primer for any level of player interested in the wacky history, unique rules, and exciting future of pickleball.
Bainbridge Island, Washington State. On a sleepy summer vacation, three dads with bored kids started a game with handmade equipment and rules that were even more hastily constructed.
Pickleball—an accessible and engaging combination of sports like ping-pong and tennis—was born, and a rich history began to take shape. Fifty years later, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world to quarantine and hunt for new activities, Americans of all ages and athletic ability discovered pickleball, turning to the rapidly growing phenomenon as a way to stay active, safe, and entertained.
With its unique rules, wacky terminology, and inclusive gameplay, pickleball caught the attention of the likes of the Kardashians, Bill and Melinda Gates, and Leonardo DiCaprio, and quickly became the world’s fastest growing sport with Olympic games potential.Few have followed pickleball’s ascent in American life as closely as New York Times writer and pickleball enthusiast Rachel Simon.
Now Simon shares her fascination with the world in this lively, energetic primer for anyone wondering what in the world a dink is or why their neighbors have had a net up in their driveway since May 2020. From the history of the game to the basic rules (hint: you do not want to be caught in the “kitchen” during a volley), Simon offers a complete overview for casual and expert players alike. With easy-to-follow steps and expert advice, readers will learn everything they need to know, including information like:
Where and how to set up a court
Scoring, gameplay, and equipment
Strategies to win at any skill level
The difference between a dink, a drive, and a drop shot
In addition, Simon weaves in inspiring stories from the world’s top players during their most exciting pickleball moments. An immersive look at a global phenomenon that’s only gaining momentum, Pickleball for All paints a vivid portrait of a new American pastime. (Read More) (Read Chapter 1)
If you’ve seen folks with rectangular paddles at your local recreation center, or if your tennis club has suddenly converted a portion of its space to smaller courts with lower nets, you might be wondering about the rapidly growing sport of pickleball.
Does it seem like pickleball — the tennis-badminton-Ping-Pong hybrid — is suddenly everywhere?
The fastest growing sport in America boasts more than 4.8 million players (including TODAY’s Jenna Bush Hager and Leonardo DiCaprio). While the game with a silly name (it has nothing to do with pickles) has been especially popular with adults 55 and older, it is beginning to appeal to a younger crowd. The average age for all players dropped to 38.1 years old in 2021, according to USA Pickleball, the National Governing Body for the sport in the U.S. And the fastest growth of participants from 2020 to 2021 was among players under 24 years of age.
There are many reasons that pickleball appeals to people of all ages. For starters, it's a fun and social way to stay in shape. Matches are also played on a court considerably smaller than a tennis court, which makes for less running and a more accessible workout. But with games typically lasting an hour, you’ll work up a good sweat and burn up to 11 calories per minute. (As always, check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program.)
It’s been described as the fastest-growing sport in America. People are playing pickleball everywhere, with courts springing up in towns and cities across the country.
But where did pickleball originate? How did it start, and where? And why are so many people playing it?
Those are some of the questions answered in a new SportsCenter “SC Featured” segment debuting Sunday. Producer Jon Fish and reporter Gene Wojciechowski traveled America to get pickleball perspective.
“So, how do you tell a story of a sport?” Fish said. “Multiple other entities have gotten into what’s going on with pickleball now, but the most important thing to me is how did this happen? What’s the origin story?”
He learned that pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Wash., near Seattle. And then he remembered that Jason Jobes, a camera operator he’s friends with and has worked with often, lives on Bainbridge. When he called Jobes, he was amazed to learn that Jobes had played the sport his entire life. He quickly agreed to help Fish with the story.
Fish and Wojciechowski went to Bainbridge Island and to the spot where pickleball was born.
The original pickleball court on Bainbridge Island, Wash., is marked with this plaque. (Jon Fish/ESPN)
“You can’t shoot hoops on the peach basket that Naismith hung up,” he said. “But when you go to Bainbridge Island, you come off this unpaved road in the middle of the woods, and there it is – Court 1.
“And I had that moment like I’m at the origin of the sport. And they haven’t touched it. It looks like it looked when they invented the game in 1965. For me, as a producer, to find something as it was is just mind-blowing. To go to a place that’s the essence of a sport is incredible.”
Viewers also will hear from 15-year-old Anna Leigh Waters, the No. 1 ranked female pickleball player; Tom Dundon, owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, who also owns the PPA – Pro Pickleball Association; and Steve Kuhn, owner of Major League Pickleball.
“We found out that pickleball has a cool backstory of why it was invented,” Fish said. “And the game means a lot to the people that invented it and the people who play it now.”
And that includes Fish.
“My wife bought me pickleball paddles and balls for my birthday,” he said.
“One Nation Under Pickleball” will premier in the 8 a.m. ET edition of SportsCenter on Sunday, Aug. 21, will re-air in other editions on Sunday and in the ensuing days. (Source)
