Pickleball takes country, Renovo by storm
By Christopher Miller
RENOVO – A new sport is taking the country by storm and the Western Clinton County Recreation Authority, also known locally as the Rec. Center, has caught on to the new game.
Pickleball, which was first played in Washington state in 1965, spent the better part of the last 57 years spreading across the country and gaining a following of millions of people.
In short, as the flyers said that were circulating around on local social media, Pickleball combines aspects of Tennis, Ping Pong, and Badminton into one really fun and engaging sport.
“It can be played outdoors or indoors, but with separate balls with holes in them, similar to wiffle balls, to account for the possible air resistance outside,” said Herb Probst, a co-instructor at the Clinic held Monday evening at the Rec. Center. “Always keep extra balls in your pockets – it’s easier that way and completely allowed during the game.”
There are five basic rules behind the game and the rest are learned while playing.
•The ball must stay inbounds. Pickleball can be played on a Tennis court because the Pickleball court is a little smaller in area.
•The ball can only bounce once per side.
•Serving may only be done at the baseline.
•A serve cannot land in the no-volley zone.
•The game ends at 11, 15, or 21 points (15 or 21 point games are generally reserved for competitions and tournaments).
Rich Greene, a friend and co-instructor of Herb’s, was also on hand for the clinic.
“There are really only two types of paddles; a wooden paddle generally for beginners, and a graphite, light-weight paddle for the experienced player,” said Rich. After holding both paddles and only playing with the wooden paddle, one can easily tell the difference between the two. The paddle is comparable in size to a Badminton racket, but with a ping pong flat surface.
The sport even comes with its own unique vocabulary and catch phrases, such as “stay out of the kitchen,” which refers to the taped area about 7 feet in front of the net on each side.
There are specific rules governing “The Kitchen.”
And there is also “dinking,” which, as Rich put it, is how most tournaments are played and won.
“Dinking” is when you hit the ball back and forth in front of the net while staying out of the kitchen area,” Rich explained. “It’s how most professionals will play and will capitalize off of who makes a mistake first.”
“If you played Tennis, Badminton, or Ping Pong before, it will benefit you, however there is no prior experience necessary to play,” Herb said.
Court reservations to play Pickleball may be made by calling the Rec. Center office or messaging the Recreation Authority on Facebook, but some set evening hours will be coming soon. Court reservations are currently not required for those who come to the center Monday – Friday between 9am and 12pm.
So keep your eye out for Pickleball tournaments and matches happening soon, as it already has an International Federation and a U.S. Open behind it.
Western Clinton County Recreation Center
222 Saint Clair Avenue
Renovo, PA
Office/Gym Hours:
Monday – Friday
9am to 12pm,
5pm to 8pm
WCCRA@comcast.net
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570-923-0433
