Tennis in a pickle
FASTEST GROWING SPORT
Douglas tennis is in a pickle, but in a good way. The progressive Port Douglas Tennis Club has embraced the world’s fastest growing game Pickleball. A special court has been provided at the club which will allow ‘Hot Shots’ tennis for kids to be played and Pickleball.
Club President Glen Brumby says the court area in total isn’t the ideal size, but it’s all the Douglas Shire Council will allow under the present layout “We’d love to have it bigger, but we are restricted with space but at least it’s a starting point and our members can play for free during the day and it will introduce them to the game of Pickleball and the young ones can play Hotshot” he said.
Tennis Club member Joan Berzinski told Newsport “I wasn’t all that interested until I saw tennis legend Judy Dalton have a hit and now, I’d like to give it a go, it looks so much fun” she said.
What’s it all about
Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor sport where two players (singles), or four players (doubles), hit a perforated hollow plastic ball over a 0.91 net using solid-faced paddles. Opponents on either side of the net hit the ball back and forth until one side commits a rule infraction. It resembles tennis, but the court is the size of a double’s badminton court, less than a third the size of a tennis court. Court lines and rules are specific to pickleball and include two 2.1 m areas on either side of the net known as the non-volley zones, where the ball cannot be hit with the paddle unless the ball bounces first. There are other rules obviously, but the sport itself has taken off in the Douglas Shire that’s for sure.
Pickleball History
The game was invented way back in the 60’s by a bloke by the name of Joel Pritchard in the United States. There are two theories as to why it took the name of Pickleball. One theory is that it was named after the term used about the last placegetter in competitive rowing. It is called the pickle boat. Other sources state that the name was derived from the name of the Pritchard's family dog, Pickles.
Local legend
Judy Dalton AM and other female tennis players changed the face of women’s tennis in Australia and around the world. She was a member of the Original Nine who played in the forerunner to the women's professional tour. Judy is super impressed with Pickleball after having a game with Liz Kendall from the University of the Third Age (U3A) who stage Pickleball each week at the Community Hall in Port Douglas. Liz had to concede defeat to a player who can still hit a ball with gusto, even if it has holes in it “It’s a very interesting game and I think it would be very good for kids and for older people who would be able to cover this smaller court a lot easier” she said. Judy told Newsport she has a female friend living in Bali who was an average tennis player but is now playing in the top league of Pickleball and has won heaps of competition matches and has even earned gold medals. Liz Kendall, always the Pickle Ball promoter, had the last word, “Don’t forget to tell people that we are having a try and play day on May 6th at the Mossman indoor sports facility where representatives from Cairns Pickleball will be attending with coaches hopefully as a forerunner to an official club being set up in the Douglas Shire,” she said. Pickleball seems to be taking over the world including our patch.
Funny name but an exciting game.