The quirky court sport with the vocabulary to match has been around for six decades, but only truly caught fire during the COVID\u002D19 pandemic
The quirky court sport with the vocabulary to match has been around for six decades, but only truly caught fire during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it shows no signs that it will run out of fuel any time soon. Pickleball Canada’s executive director Carla Anderson said the sport’s social qualities, affordability and accessibility have pushed participation from 350,000 across the country a year ago to more than a million now.
She said a survey commissioned by Pickleball Canada last January showed the highest growth in the 18-34 demographic, but the largest component was still older Canadians. Those numbers are similar in the United States, where pickleball was invented in 1965. Three friends combined table tennis paddles with a Wiffle ball and badminton net. There is also an aspect of tennis at the root of this family tree, though the game is played indoors and out on a court about one-quarter the size.
“If you love pickleball, that’s an easy solution. If you like tennis and want to support tennis, that’s a tough pill to swallow,” said Brad Colcy, vice president of the Glenora Community League in central Edmonton. “You realize that tennis infrastructure is expensive and hard to come by.” Pickleball obviously won’t damage your ears, but it can play havoc with a quiet summer day on the deck.
The sport’s insiders are indeed eye-balling a spot in the five-ring circus. It’s not on the programme for Paris 2024 and doesn’t appear to have a serious shot at Los Angeles 2028, but Anderson is optimistic for Brisbane 2032.
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