SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2016
3 B
NED HICKSON/SIUSLAW NEWS
Larry Karas (left) delivers a kill shot from the back of the pickleball court, which is half the distance of a standard tennis court.
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Pickleball
from 1B
makes for a lot of laughs.
“I get a great aerobic work-
out from the laughter alone.”
The game of pickleball has
been around since 1965, when
Washington State
Congressman Joel Pritchard,
William Bell and Barney
McCallum created the game
as something their entire fami-
lies could play together,
regardless of age.
With courts being half the
size of a tennis court, the dis-
tance makes it easy to cover
for young children as well as
many of those with mobility
issues. By using a wiffle-type
ball rather than a racquetball
or tennis ball, it’s easier to
keep the game in play while
still making it competitive.
The rules are similar to ten-
nis.
So why “pickleball?”
Pritchard’s family dog,
“Pickles,” had a habit of steal-
ing the ball during play and
hiding it in the bushes.
And pickleball was born.
Before long, the game had
moved from family backyards
and driveways on Bainbridge
Island, to clay courts with
official rules throughout the
country.
Today it is the second-
fastest growing sport in the
United States, next to lacrosse.
It’s also a sport that the
group wants to expand in
Florence with a little help
from the city.
“We’ve approached them
about allowing us to divide
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Garage full of crafts & misc.
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one of the tennis courts at
Rolling Dunes into four pick-
leball courts,” says Karas.
“We’ll do all the fund raising
and the work if they’ll let us
do it.”
Griffin says he’s met with
City Manager Erin Reynolds,
and that she’s considering the
idea.
“Eventually, we’d really
like to see this grow and
include sanctioned tourna-
ments,” Griffin says. “We
already have people coming
here from Reedsport to play,
and there are people who trav-
el in RVs year-round to com-
pete in tournaments all over.”
But even more important is
the exercise the sport gives to
people who may not otherwise
get that kind of activity, says
Debbie Griffin.
“We played with a man a
while back who was 85 years
old,” she recalls. “His move-
ments were choppy but he was
having fun. He was wearing a
pedometer and, in a little more
than two hours, he had cov-
ered 4-1/2 miles.
“That’s the best thing about
pickleball. It’s exercise you
want to do because it’s fun —
and just about anyone can do
it.”
The group meets regularly
on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday at Rolling Dunes
Courts on 35th Street, starting
at 8:30 a.m., before the wind
picks up.
“We are working to find an
indoor space, which would let
everyone play year-round,”
says Karas, who spends part
of the year in Palm Desert.
“While I’m there, I play every
day. And when I’m not play-
ing, I’m thinking about when I
can play again.
“It’s an addiction your heart
will thank you for.”
Steve Larson, who began
playing back in February with
knee problems, says pickleball
has steadily improved his
mobility.
“When I started, I was sort
of hobbling around because
my knees were so stiff,” he
says. “Now I’m moving
around the court and my knees
are in much better shape. It’s
really amazing — and I’ve
made new friends in the
process.”
More than 50 years after the
Pritchard family created a
game for the whole family,
pickleball is still bringing peo-
ple of all ages together.
For more information about
playing here in Florence, con-
tact John Griffin at 661-496-
6438 or email jgriffish@yahoo
.com.
S IUSLAW N EWS
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