WHAT IS PICKLEBALL?
The name of a post-cucumber is in the title of this sport - but no pickles are involved.
Pickleball is coming to Aiken - a game that is a hybrid of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. The sport has been around since the mid-1960s, but it was practically unknown to Aiken City Parks, Recreation, and Tourism (PRT) when it was brought to their attention by Mike and Loretta Beckner.
"I was definitely unsure of what the sport was," said Jessica Campbell with PRT. "But thankfully to the Beckners sitting down and talking with us, we got a lot of good information."
Pickleball is actually so established, it has its own USA Pickleball Association (USAPA.) The Beckners are USAPA ambassadors in the Aiken area and they want to share the sport with the residents.
According to the USAPA, pickleball was started by Joel Pritchard, a congressman from Washington State, and Bill Bell, a successful businessman, in 1965 in Banbridge Island, Wash. The two returned home from a round of golf and found their family members sitting around without anything to do. The two men thought maybe a game of badminton would cure their boredom, but they couldn't find a full set of rackets. The few racquets they did find were damaged, so they cut the shafts down and tried hitting a perforated ball around their badminton court. The improvised racquets weren't really working, so Pritchard and Bell made four wooden paddles and lowered their net from 60 to 36 inches in height. The game was soon introduced to their friend Barney McCallum, and the three men came up with rules for the new sport, basing it upon on the game of badminton.
In 1976, the first known pickleball tournament happened in Tukwila, Wash. By 1984, the USAPA was formed as the sport began spreading around the country.
How about that unusual name? The sport was actually dubbed after Pickle, Pritchard's cocker spaniel, who would chase after the ball, grab it and run off. It was indeed Pickle's ball and so his name was incorporated into the game's title.
Like the game of pickleball, the Beckners are new to Aiken, moving to the city in May. They had learned about the sport in upstate Virginia, and they fell in love with it.
"We've really gotten hooked to this sport," Loretta said.
When they moved here, they learned there wasn't any pickleball happening in this area, and they wanted to fix that. They contacted Campbell and PRT Director Glenn Parker to tell them about the sport.
"Aiken is an environment that is accepting - very forward looking and progressive," Loretta said. "They were willing to listen and were very receptive."
The Beckners say the sport is also great exercise that isn't overly taxing on the body.
"It's good for all ages - it's a game for life," said Mike. "It's good physically - it will get your heart rate up."
The racquets of pickleball are very light and so is the perforated ball. The sport itself moves quite quickly - the ball resembling a comet as it flies from racquet to racquet.
The Beckners have been teaching another couple, Stacey and Rich Dezelon, how to play pickleball. The two have picked up the sport quite quickly and have already bought their own racquets.
"We're hooked," said Stacey. "It's great fun and we love it."
The rules of the game are simple. The ball must be served underhanded, and each team must play their first shot off the bounce. After the ball has bounced once on each side, both teams are allowed to volley the ball in the air or hit it off a bounce. When a ball is missed by a player, that team loses the match or rally as it is called. The Beckners say the sport is easily learned.
On Sept. 18, there will be a demonstration and free instruction at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Beckners hope to see a lot of people from all walks of life come out and take interest in this sport. Campbell is excited about the new sport and hopes a lot of people come by.
"Just drop in and see what the game is all about," said Campbell. "We'd love to see a lot of participation."
For more information on Pickleball, visit www.usapa.org. For information about the upcoming demonstration, call the Aiken City PRT Department at 642-7631.
Contact Amy Banton at abanton@aikenstandard.com.