Defying Age & Defining Fun
While having lunch inside a quiet building I heard two women playing pickleball (they played yesterday too). Best guess would put them in their sixties, early seventies. The net had been stored for the winter but that didn’t stop these determined players from volleying back and forth, talking and laughing and exercising. I was reading and I could hear the muffled sound of the ball being hit—pop after pop after pop. That pop did not annoy or disturb or distract, but I knew the sound well—it was like a welcoming bird call. I looked up from my book and gazed out a nearby window, thinking about numerous comments saying how “noisy” pickleball playing is, driving people mad to the point of complaining about and disliking the game. The noise was no assault on my ears. I could tune it out and still enjoy eating and reading at the same time.
What really stirred my thoughts, though, were the two women outside, bundled up, being active and enjoying the outdoors. After finishing my lunch I passed the court and watched the women in action, admiring their toughness in the cold, their willingness to play without the net and get some shots in on a raw day (35-40 degrees the Jersey high). Moving closer to the court, I gave them thumbs up. I said something like “It’s awesome that you’re playing—no net.”
“We like the practice,” one of them said, giggling. The other woman nodded in agreement. Both women smiled and waved as I walked away, shouting over my shoulder, “Keep it up.”
Pickleball mania is infectious. The sport has uplifted, motivated, inspired, challenged, pushed (call it what you want!) people of all ages, people like those two women. In some cases it seems to have given the indolent a good shove, the easily bored a purpose, the unfocused and distracted a fresh direction, the active and athletic another test of mental and physical dexterity. Believe me, I’ve heard stories and seen examples firsthand of transformation, of people discovering within themselves some long-dormant passion and getting off their rump.
Join the millions who participate in pickleball each year, and as you do, you’ll encounter enthusiastic players and forge new friendships. And always keep in mind: time spent playing is time not spent taking up bad habits or worse. If you get hooked, I would recommend watching professionals compete in MLP and PPA tournaments—the best lessons on earth!