Pickleball passion: Racket sport sees surge in popularity

Pickleball is one of the fastest growing paddle sports in Canada.

A combination of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, pickleball can be played by people of all ages.

“You have the kids, the parents, and the grandparents playing. People think it’s an old people sport, but it’s getting younger and younger all the time,” said Angela Weld, membership chair with Pickleball Nova Scotia.

The game is played with a paddle that has a honeycomb core and a plastic ball with holes in it.

“Pickleball is a super fun game that people can pick up really easily. It has a really quick learning curve, so if you’ve never played a racket sport before, you can pick up pickleball and become competent enough to go out and play with your friends and have a lot of fun,” said pickleball player Karen Furlong.

The court measures 20 feet wide and 44 feet long. It can be used for singles or doubles play.

Pickleball court measurements. (Source: Pickleball Canada)

“Basically you serve crosscourt, when the ball comes back it has to bounce,” said Weld.

“That area that’s close to the net, seven foot on either side, that’s called the no-volley zone and people call it the kitchen. You can’t volley in that area.”

“After completing a return of serve, the ball can be hit out of the air (a volley) or it can be hit after only one bounce. If a ball bounces twice before a player makes contact, that player has committed a fault and they lose that rally,” states Pickleball Nova Scotia on its website.

To win, a player or team must reach a score of 11 and win by a margin of two points.

“This means that if the game is tied at 10 to 10, one team must win by a score of at least 12-10 or the game will continue until the score ends up with a victory margin of two points such as 13-11,” says Pickleball Canada.

Furlong says the sport is a great way to meet new friends.

“I’ve met so many people through pickleball and have had so many great experiences,” said Furlong.

“When you go to a pickleball court, you hear the laughter all the time. People are just having a great time,” said Weld.