The latest craze to hit here is pickleball. It appears to be the aging baby boomers’ answer to the hula hoop fad of our youth. Everyone MUST play pickleball. Towns(including ours) must convert tennis courts to pickleball courts or turn lovely open fields(the adjacent town) to pickleball courts. Realizing that it snows or ices over in New England for several months of the year the rush is on to convert abandoned malls into pickleball courts. In our town the tennis club applied for and was granted a zone amendment to add pickleball to their indoor courts.
Pickleball has proved a bonanza for orthopedists, sending countless seniors(86% of emergency room pickleball injuries were to seniors) to the hospital with injuries including partial and complete ruptures of Achilles tendons, plantar fasciitis, ankle sprains, and various foot and ankle fractures.
Noise complaints are rampant among the neighbors of pickleball who say that the noise is not just loud. Apparently the high pitch of the noise of plastic ball on paddle is irritating in a way that the quieter thump of the tennis ball is not. (Of course people next to tennis courts and basketball hoops are sometimes annoyed too.)
I have no interest in taking up the activity. I am amused, however, watching some men play pickleball with the intensity that resembles squash. The game is much less rigorous than that, but they may not be able to help themselves!
Is this a worldwide trend or is the United States alone in pickleball insanity?
Saved By Words 
We are catching your pickle ball virus. Like you I have remained immune to its charms so far.
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Hang onto your acl as long as possible!
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I first heard about it through Brene Brown’s podcasts as she and her sisters play. I wonder if her involvement has something to do with the current popularity?
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Maybe, but it is also a trend among boomers.
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Haven’t heard of it until now. How does it played?
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It’s a combination of ping pong and tennis. Basically ping pong with bigger paddle and ball played on half size tennis court.
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It’s growing by leaps and bounds. It’s getting on television now with bigtime sponsors. I wrote an article about this after my friend Jack made his own pickleball court. https://petespringerauthor.wordpress.com/2021/05/25/pickleball-a-growing-sport/
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I thought I had read all of your posts but apparently missed this one. Thanks for another point of view!
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It’s certainly not for everyone, but I know a lot of retirees who love it.
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I had read about pickleball on American blogs, and until 2022, I had no idea what it was. I was sure it was unknown in the UK, until we went to stay with a friend and his wife recently. He has just moved from London to a big barn conversion in the Suffolk countryside, (he has a LOT of money) and keen to get to know the local village life, he has joined many local clubs and societies. I knew he played tennis for the last 25 years in London (he is 76, and his wife is 62) but I was surprised when he told me he was now in a pickleball club in Suffolk. That is the first evidence I have that we have now imported your sport! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Frightening! Hope he has a good orthopedist!
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PB is a fun sport and while it may have been intended to be played easily, the players can be as aggressive as in any ‘casual’ sport. There are some funny videos on the web regarding PB.
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I will have to look.
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It started as a sport for older people that was active but not aggressive. It was fun with spirit. Unfortunately it has become much more aggressive, like squash. Yes, the injuries…a fellow teacher’s husband ripped so many muscles in his leg that he had major surgery. He has recovered and is back to pickleball. Sigh. Like you, I have no interest.
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I guess once an athlete it is hard to tone it down in recognition of our actual older bodies.
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Well said.
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I keep hearing about pickle ball, but have no idea what it is. After hearing about all the sports injuries, I think I’ll stick to walking. LOL
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Please do. I think by the time we mastered it there would be a new craze.
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Never heard of it but apparently there are pickleball clubs here in New Zealand 🙂 Mostly in the North Island according to the main website…
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You haven’t missed much I don’t think.
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Never heard of it Elizabeth until I read the above! But on doing a search of our Region, apparently we do have a few courts & clubs! It must not be that popular though if my friends, family nor I have heard of it…
Blessings, Jennifer
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