PICKLEBALL

 PICKLEBALL 

MY journey into the intriguing world of pickleball continues after four helpful and enjoyable lessons by Adèle, at the Pitt Meadows Recreation Centre.

Pickleball is a sampling of badminton, tennis and ping pong, and it is played either indoors or out. The paddle is an oversized ping pong racket and the ball is as big as a tennis ball, but hollow and full of evenly spaced holes.

The game can be played in doubles or singles. The serving is much like badminton — underhand and to the opponent at the diagonal position. There are some basic rules related to the lines on the court, where players stand, and how to score. The game ends at the score of 11.

So the other day was a new test day in the life of a newbie. I went to the outdoor courts in Pitt Meadows. It was a cool but sunny morning, but all the courts were full. I wandered around to watch people play and immediately noticed they clearly were experienced. They’d definitely had more than four lessons!

Since watching is a form of learning, I decided to find a bench and watch. I also decided that a few more lessons and a few more practices with players at my level, would be a good idea.  -- a very good idea!