Pickleball - Don't Count Me Out!

                                                                

Have you bit the bullet? Drank the water? Jumped on the bandwagon? Have you been hooked by the latest sports craze? 

You guessed it. I'm talking about pickleball. It's the latest and greatest sport of all time, at least in this particular woman's opinion. 

I was first introduced to this sport by a friend. She stated there were 2 things that changed her life - Jesus and pickleball. My response was surprise and hope these 2 were revolutionary in that exact order. 

I now would tell others the same. I'm telling you now. Jesus first then pickleball has in deed changed my life!

This sport is a phenomenon. It has been the fastest growing sport outranking all others for the past 4 years. Tennis courts remain empty. Pickleball courts have paddles stacked with many waiting on the sidelines to get in to play. Brandon Mackie of Pickleheads researched to find it growing annually at a rate of 311%. Currently 28 million people play. That number will go up tomorrow. And it's not just for the grandmothers out there. It might surprise you the average age player is 34.8 years old. The greatest growth is among 25 to 34-year olds!

This grandma loves to play. You see, pickleball is the first sport I have ever played in my entire life. My entire life represents a lot of years where I've never once been called "a baller." I come from a long line of not-so athletic women. Growing up, I took dance and did crafts.

The joke in my family is the fact that I actually was on my high school basketball team! The deal was my high school began in 8th grade. Everyone who wanted to be on the team made the team. I made the team photo but never made it off the bench!

My college GPA was lowered by the "C" I got in badminton. Let's not talk more about that. 

My dad always said I could trip over 2 layers of air. That's pretty accurate but I am up for a game of pickleball most anytime. If I can play, I suggest you give it a try. Jump on the band wagon and drink the water. Here's a warning: When you get drawn in, your open schedule will never look as open again!

Your confidence will increase when you do play with my age group. Not that I'm in my 80's but don't be fooled by the 88-year old white-haired lady wearing pearls. Her name is Penny and she's perilous!! She's sweet but deadly on the court!  You will balance your game play with her along with those limping along with no shame while their knee braces are evident for all to see. They may not look intimidating but you've been warned!

I introduced this sport to my husband. He's more than hooked. I thought it would be a great marriage-enriching activity for us to share. Not so much. He plays a lot. It's not marriage-enriching to play with me. 

We love each other very much and have for a lot of years - decades even. He didn't pick me out of crop of women because of my athletic ability. He was there on our dates when I continually tripped in Wendy's then flipping my full salad bar plate all over the floor. This happened a handful of times. He knew what he was getting. He is rarely surprised by my athletic performance or lack of it.

My man is competitive. I'm not competitive at all. I can't be for the preservation of my self-esteem. If my aspiration was to win each and every time, I would leave the court feeling quite dejected most times. I must play for fun in order to have fun.

These 2 sportsmen spirits do not mix well and shouldn't meet often on the court. If we do, we are better off playing on 2 different sides. He has no problem beating me. I just can't be the reason someone else beats him! He has his competitive group. I have mine where "girls just wanna have fun."

I learned my lesson at a Glow in the Dark Pickleball Tournament. The tournament title just radiates fun. Right? I went to have fun. A date night. My man along with other ultra-competitive players arrived with a must-win mindset. Made zero sense to me.

My life partner and I began playing as partners. After I dropped a shot or two, I was smart enough to realize it was best to drop my partner for the sake of the marriage. I stop, dropped, and rolled my ball to another male partner who sought out my partnership. Yes, nonathletic me was recruited by someone who had no obligation to play with me. Hard as that is to believe, I know. I'm proud to say this new partner chose wisely. We made it to the championship game while my hubby watched from the sidelines. Miracles do happen! Ha to those who doubted!

Pickleball is a blast. So fun to play. So difficult to master. Don't try to master. Just get out there but do beware of the potential for pickleball peril. Choose your partner wisely to not mess up any long-term partnerships.

Just Do It. Just Have Fun. No scorecards required. What a relief!                                        

Give it a try -

this pickleball craze.

You'll dink and you'll hit.

Soon you will amaze!