Community looking foward to courts coming to Pierce
Pickleheads are invading Pierce County.
Pickleheads are a group of enthusiasts for pickleball, a new sport that is gaining popularity all across the country.
While Pierce County has been slower to embrace the game, it is gaining traction.
A diverse breed of players from ages 10-82 are waiting anxiously for pickleball courts to open here.
Pierce County couple Gavin and Haley Rigdon love the game so much they have started a pickleball club. The group of about 25 meets once a week at Patterson Baptist Church where they have improvised and taped off a court.
“Pickleball is a fun and competitive sport that I and many others really enjoy playing. It’s available for everyone to play and one of its greatest features is that people of all ages can play together on the same court. It’s the perfect way to bond with family and friends while making unforgettable memories. I can’t wait to see it grow in Pierce County and bring even more people together for fun, said Rigdon.
A recent post on The Times’ Facebook page stating, “If you play pickleball, we want to hear from you!” received a lot of attention.
The replies were a mix of “we love it” to “what in the world is pickleball?”
Cindy Hartley commented, “Don’t know the rules, but I love to play.” Billy Thomas wrote, “What’s pickleball?”
Alicia Fetner Ruger says, “My daughter is 12 and obsessed.”
Phyllis Ware says “Yes! My family does.”
Chan Peacock of First Southern Bank tells The Times “I enjoy pickleball it’s a full body cardio workout. Great fun for family and friends.” “I have spent over $150 in paddles for birthday gifts and my own household in the last year!” Jill Davis.
Mom of five, Cassie Vickers says “It’s so much fun! I would love to have several courts available in Blackshear. That would be amazing! The ones in Waycross are always full. It’s fun for the entire family.”
Renovation plans for Blackshear City Park do, in fact, call for the creation of pickleball courts there. (See a public notice on page 5) The game, which was invented in 1965, is patterned after tennis, badminton, and ping pong. It is played with a plastic ball on a court, much like a tennis court.
The name is a reference to the “pickle boat” in crew races, which were made up of leftover rowers. Pickleball got its names because the game has components of other sports such as tennis, badminton and ping-pong.
The standard pickleball court is typically blue and brown with white boundary marks. The court is 20 feet wide by 44 feet long. The net is shorter and only stands 36 inches at the posts and tapers to 34 inches at the center. Tennis is played on a much larger court, but pickleball and badminton courts are the same size.
Pickleball mirrors tennis in that it can be played in both singles and doubles formats, usually to 11 points with a 2-point margin to win.
Paddles (similar to ping-pong paddles but larger) are used to hit the ball back and forth over the net, with the goal of making it hard for the opposing team to return the ball.
Pickleball is a great form of cardiovascular exercise that can help improve overall health including agility, coordination and balance and provides a good aerobic workout without putting excessive stress on joints and muscles. The latter makes it a good option for people of all ages and fitness levels.
