My First Time Playing Pickleball Series - Part 3
With the sport of pickleball exploding across almost all age ranges, we thought it would be interesting to talk to different beginners just getting into the sport about their experiences. Told through their voices, this is the first in our new series that highlights the journeys of players getting into pickleball and hopefully provide tips for other new comers.
Author bio:
Mercedes is a graduate from the University of Kentucky as of May 2022. She now holds a degree in integrated communications, with a minor in anthropology. She is a seasoned vet in the world of non-profit, as she has been with In Christy’s Shoes since 2015, assisting founders in event preparation.
When I first heard about the game pickleball I thought cool, what is that? My mind had gone to some sort of racquetball/cricket sport filled with old men. To my surprise, this was not the case. This summer I am working as a summer intern at OvareGroup and was tasked to learn more about the sport.
As the fastest-growing sport in America, I decided it was worth giving it a try.
So, with my group of fellow interns, we began by finding a court to play on. Luckily enough, one of us had a court at their apartment complex for us to play. After thinking about what we had gotten ourselves into, we started researching the sport.
I started looking into the history of pickleball and the reasoning behind the wacky name. I found that the game is fairly new, being originated in 1965 by Joel Pritchard and friends, after coming home to restless kids one summer afternoon.
The name comes from Pritchard's family dog, Pickles, who could be found lying courtside and stealing the balls.
With the history covered, I decided it was time to look at the rules of the sport. And let me tell you, there are many! I was learning new terms like Side Out, Dink, Volley, and “Kitchen”.
With all of my newfound knowledge of pickleball, we headed to the courts.
As soon as I got out of my car I realized this might’ve been a mistake, given that it was 85 degrees outside, but persevered and got into place as the serving team. Thankfully, you get to wear athletic clothes while you play and it helped beat the heat.
After the first serve, I immediately could tell this is going to be harder than I thought.
Beginner tip: When you start don’t take yourself or the game too seriously.
Trying to remember all of the rules and lingo of the game made me frustrated because I wanted to play the right way. However, I think that once we started to play more “relaxed”, we had the most enjoyment. We weren't worried about what we looked like or if we were forgetting a rule and simply played for entertainment.
This helped me become more comfortable with pickleball and allowed me to have a lot of fun, which is the point! (only if you’re on the serving team ;) )
Overall, it was a great experience and allowed me and my peers to bond. I might even have to buy my own pickleball gear and hit the courts again soon. Although, when I play, It’ll be called Parisball for when my dog sits courtside.
