Browsing: Pickleball News

Get ready to hit the court with Pickleball: Smash, coming to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC this November! Experience the excitement of America’s fastest-growing sport in the virtual world for the very first time. Are you up for the challenge? Hone Your Abilities Step into the pickleball arena and test and hone your skills in single-player mode. Or, if you’re feeling competitive, gather your friends for thrilling local multiplayer matches where strategy, skill, and agility will be put to the test. Embark on a journey across various venues and take on the…

Shane Carr, head of programming for Maccabi USA, often receives requests to include various sports in the organization’s Jewish sports tournaments worldwide. However, one sport, in particular, has been consistently suggested since 2019: pickleball. Demand For Pickleball Skyrocketing These requests are nothing new; pickleball has gained widespread popularity in Jewish community centers and camps nationwide, attracting players of all ages. During the pandemic, the demand to add pickleball to Maccabi events skyrocketed, and Carr found himself inundated with pickleball inquiries. After years of discussing the sport’s attraction and potential inclusion, coupled with the appeals finally wearing Carr down, pickleball will…

Major League Pickleball (MLP) has announced that it has established new rules that will go into effect starting August 1, 2023, which will limit certain paddle colors to ensure player safety. According to the MLP, several pro players have voiced opinions regarding an issue where specific bright-colored paddles directly affect their line of sight on a ball during play, giving their opponents an unfair advantage and increasing the risk of injury. As is true of other racket sports, wearing flashy colors or using brightly-colored paddles can directly impact a pickleball player’s ability to visually sense and track balls during play.…

The UK newspaper, The Guardian, recently wrote about pickleball moving away from its roots and losing the amateur, feel-good factor it once had. Here’s what they had to say. A Simple Goal According to Frank Pritchard, the origin of pickleball was meant to be nothing more than a fun pastime – a lot of fun, to be precise. It all began back in the summer of 1965 when his father, Congressman Joel Pritchard, along with two friends, came up with the game while renting a house on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. The goal was simple – to entertain a…

Sports bars and restaurant venues are constantly innovating to offer patrons new ways of enjoying a night on the town. For some establishments, pickleball has become a great addition to the usual dining and entertainment experience. In January 2022, Houston became one of the latest cities to incorporate pickleball into the sports bar space when Bumpy Pickle opened its doors. It immediately established itself as the area’s only sports bar and recreational facility for sand volleyball and pickleball. Located in Houston’s Second Ward near Eastwood Park, the outside area has nine well-lit pickleball courts and five regulation-size sand volleyball courts.…

Tennis players on Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada, filed a legal petition to restrict pickleball players from utilizing their courts, insisting that the facilities should remain “exclusively dedicated to tennis.” However, B.C.’s Supreme Court decided to dismiss. Tennis-Related Activities In the verdict from the Supreme Court of British Columbia, this group of tennis players played a key role in raising funds for the construction of the courts. However, they expressed their desire to restrict the utilization of these courts solely to tennis-related activities. The petition was specifically addressed to the Mayne Island Community Centre Society (MICCS), the entity responsible for…

With pickleball’s recent meteoric rise in popularity among Americans, the natural fight over court space with tennis players came with it. We’ve seen protests and fights break out, and the “pickleball and tennis war” has even seen destruction and vandalism to the courts that should be a place of recreation and community. However, not all of the tennis community has felt the need to fight back against the wave, more akin to a tsunami, that is the pickleball revolution. Recently, the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA), which is considered to be one of the largest recreational tennis leagues in the…

The Pacific Northwest Classic got underway in Bend, Oregon (about 120 miles southeast of Portland) on Wednesday, attracting a large number of participants, including professional and amateur players. Friendships In The Community Spanning five days, this tournament, sponsored by Thump Coffee, features 535 of the region’s top players, some of whom are professional athletes, all vying for a combined prize pool of over $34,000. However, the significance of the Classic goes beyond just monetary gains according to co-Director Christie Gestvang: “It’s about the friendships that we create in the community. We’ve got people coming in from all across the United…

Only a few years back, pickleball remained relatively obscure to the majority of the country. However, fast forward to today, and, as we hear almost every day now, it has become the fastest-growing sport in America. “When Kevin Durant Says It’s Cool” This surge in popularity is evident as pickleball courts sprout up in cities and parks nationwide. Celebrities and professional athletes have also shown a keen interest in investing in professional teams. Last year alone, over 36 million people tried their hand at this engaging sport, solidifying its widespread appeal. Among the sport’s most ardent supporters is Steve Kuhn,…

Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau are probably the most successful female doubles team we’ve seen in pickleball recently, but they’ve now got competition! Ann Cuadrado and Joyce Bielarski, both in their 70s and residents of Claremont, New Hampshire, are another formidable duo you might want to think twice about facing on the pickleball court. A Fierce Determination To Win These experienced players are well-known in their community for their competitive yet friendly nature. They play with intensity, fairness, and a fierce determination to win. However, competitive players who want to enjoy themselves and improve their game will find them…