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P
erhaps you've heard of
this phenomenon and have
wondered what it has to do
with pickles. Despite its name,
the pickleball craze does not
include cucumbers or vinegar.
Pickleball is, however, a fun
game that is easy to learn and
may help fill daytime hours, as
well as complement a mix of
programming.
Pickleball is a combination
of badminton, ping pong
and tennis, played with a
Wiffle ball. The court, which
is the same size for singles
and doubles, has the same
markings as badminton. The
paddles resemble those for
ping pong. The net, measuring
34 inches high at its center
and 36 inches at the sidelines,
rests on the court as in
tennis.
Many explanations are offered
for the sport's name, but the
most common one is that
Joan Pritchard, wife of one
of the game's creators, Joel
Pritchard, called the game
pickleball because it combines
elements of many different
sports, just as the pickle boat
in crew combines leftover
crew members of other boats.
Pickleball was invented
on Bainbridge Island in
PICKLEBALL
ANYONE?
By Sylvie Green
by Sylvie Green