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Pickleball has been around since 1965, but it’s now the new rave. Neighborhoods are now filled with the famous high-pitched “pop” of the pickleball paddle. Pickleballers have declared their claim on tennis courts, generating tensions among tennis players and pickleballers. Today, pickleball is now the fastest-growing sport in America!
Why is pickleball so big now? Why did it blow up? I think its rise can be attributed to its accessibility. Whether you are 4 or 70 years old, you can enjoy the fun of the game and learn extremely quickly. Pickleball is the perfect mix of ping pong and tennis with a good amount of movement and skill. Pickleball is a great hobby and fun to play, but also quickly becomes quite competitive and intense, perfect for people of all skill levels. Overall, it is a great game to be enjoyed with loved ones and friends.
UCSB makes it easy to pick up and learn as you can take classes at the rec center on Wednesday evenings. I was curious to try it myself so I took the rec center class last quarter and loved it! I was able to meet so many new friends who also shared a love for pickleball. If you are interested in trying through UCSB you can sign up for Wednesday nights starting in February using this link.
After taking the class, I wanted to share the game with my family and teach them to play. On Thanksgiving, we played for the first time as a family at a tennis court by our house. Everyone loved it and we ended up playing for over two hours! I appreciated how we can be competitive, laugh, and make memories doing a new hobby outside.
Since we had so much fun during Thanksgiving break, we ended up investing in a pickleball court to use at our house. I talked to some of my friends who had purchased their own private nets and they recommended that I get the same picklebal net as them. It’s a great net to use because it is very easy to set up and light, making it easy to transport. Once we purchased it we haven’t stopped playing! We keep it set up in our driveway and take it out onto our street whenever we want to play. Another amazing feature of the net is its brightness, making it safe to use on public streets where it is easily visible for oncoming traffic. The only caveat is that you need to purchase tape or chalk to draw the pickleball lines. Nonetheless, I highly recommend it!
If you are looking to get into pickleball there are some pretty affordable rackets on Amazon. The ones I bought are super cute and pink, but there are several other colors and styles offered on the website. I love these rackets because they come with all you could ever need including two rackets, four balls, and a crocheted bag. The bag is perfect to put all your pickleball gear and personal items in. Many of the rackets offered on the website are wooden but there are also more expensive carbon and plastic rackets that provide a fine-tuned touch when striking. Everyone has different preferences so it’s important to find a racket that works for you. You can also find very inexpensive wooden rackets at Target which currently has $5 rackets in their $5 section in the front of the store.
If you haven’t tried pickleball, I highly recommend it regardless of your skill level, age, or athletic abilities. It’s a great sport and hobby that takes minimal effort and is super fun. There are pickleball courts at Kellalog Courts, about 10 minutes away from campus. If you don’t go with a group of friends, get ready to play with the local retirees. It is nice because they are often semi-pros, who can give you a free lesson and improve your Pickleball skills! Otherwise, if you come with three friends, you can play with each other and not have to intermix with other people. If you don’t have a car or have time to go to a public court, the UCSB tennis courts will do just fine.
I hope you too try it out as well with your friends, family, or the community!