“That look on your face when somebody says, ‘no Pickleball today.’”
“Pickleball is a joy,” Christy Largent told me as an opening salvo in her inspiring conversion of me to this new phenomenon.
There’s no doubt Texas is going crazy about pickleball. Dallas seems to be just one epicenter with specially designed centers like shopping malls opening up with everything from juice bars, gear shops and other accessory stores built in.
My confession: I knew relatively little—like bupkis–about Pickleball though it kept invading my consciousness. I was hearing about it everywhere.
So, it was fortuitous that I was introduced to Christy Largent and the schooling could begin.
This vivacious Texas woman is the author of two books on pickleball. The first is “Dink Positive Thoughts: A Pickleball Devotional” which purées together her love for the sport and the Lord. (The “dink” is a stroke, a way of hitting the pickleball designed to land in the ‘kitchen’ and be difficult for your opponent to return.)
“World of Pickleball” is a word search/puzzle book that comes in large print, presumably for a main pickleball demographic: the older set. That’s not to exclude young people, though, they play it in hordes.
Sitting down in Dallas recently she took on the daunting task of educating me about the finer points of pickleball.
Laughter and smiles filled the room as Ms. Largent began. “I was super-happy to talk about pickleball because we love pickleball, the world loves pickleball, it’s the fastest-growing sport in the world, did you know that?” Of course, I didn’t.
“The funny thing about pickleball is the scoring is a little odd until you learn how to score. So, we didn’t know how to score, what would win, what would lose, we just played our little hearts out.”
“Pickleball is kind of a blend of badminton, tennis and ping pong,” the effervescent Largent continued.
Is there a lot of strategy, like tennis or ping pong,” I inquired. “Initially, there’s no strategy, you’re just trying to get the ball over the net. But once you’ve been playing for a while, once you start taking lessons, once you start improving, you definitely want to incorporate strategy.”
Coming from a tennis family, I asked Ms. Largent how it compared to tennis.
“The ball can only bounce once (before the point goes to your opponent) just like tennis and you’re playing with a paddle and a little whiffle ball. The court is only 22 feet wide, it’s a narrow court and 40 feet long. You have what’s called a ‘kitchen’ which is the section close to the net. You cannot volley the ball from the air but must let it bounce.
(More on the rules and specifics of play are in the video interview embedded in this article)
It turns out, as Largent told me, that the pickleball court is one-half the size of the tennis court. This would explain why I had heard of the transformation of so many parks, schools, and other public tennis courts into pickleball courts. It was at a 2 to 1 ratio.
“You can play in a church, at the YMCA or at outdoor tennis courts that are lined for pickleball. It’s kind of controversial, because a lot of tennis players hate the pickleball players coming on but yet, a lot of tennis players have migrated over to pickleball.”
Largent continued, “Jack Sock, a professional tennis player, retired from tennis and has come over to pickleball and he’s taking it by storm.”
It seems that this new activity is gaining traction as a professional sport. “There’s a Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) and they go all over the country; I saw an announcement that they have combined Major League Pickleball (MLP) and they are starting professional tournaments in India.”
Does this mean Mark Cuban will be buying a pickleball team in Dallas, I asked playfully. “He already has bought a team in Dallas,” Largent told me, unsure whether Cuban was still involved.
There is one serious caveat however: It seems commonplace that older people in their enthusiasm to play this new sport are getting ahead of themselves. The surface is hard and when older people go charging out and are not in good shape, the chance for a serious injury from falling skyrockets.
Another smaller problem is the sound that the pickleball makes when hitting the paddle. Local residents nearby have started noise complaints and this is something to watch.
At one point, Largent told me she plays wherever she can get a court. “Does this mean it’s hard to get court time?” “I think there are more people who want to play than ready courts but here in Dallas we have a lot of courts. We have a lot of courts being built, in fact, two of the pickleball franchises, one is called The Pickler and the other is The Pickleball Kingdom. Both of them are indoor pickleball venues and they’re nationwide. They are booming and opening up here in the Dallas area in the next few months.”
Is pickleball only for those with a lot of money for $200 paddles, attire and other gear? “Oh yes. You can get two paddles and two balls for $40 in a starter kit,” Largent stated cheerfully.
Does everybody who plays pickleball have the same zest for life that Christy Largent does?
“You have all kinds of people,” she responded. “I think for people who are typically more subdued and/or negative, I think pickleball brightens their mood. Even when you’re playing bad, you’re upset for a minute but then you have another opportunity to play well.”
Closing our conversation, Largent told me, “Pickleball is a wave that everybody would benefit from riding. It’s fun. It’s joyous. It brings communities together. It is life-giving and it is the sport that will change your life.”
I left my conversation with this ebullient lady feeling very much that pickleball may not be for everybody, but for those who play it, it provides an unexpected and oversized benefit to their lives. I think I’ll try it.
“Yes, I love you more than Pickleball, but don’t push me.”
-Unknown
(This is a story I’ve written. We all have our stories. If you’d like to share yours with me, I’d love to hear it. My email is [email protected])
Bill Robinson has appeared on EpochTV, Fox News, NewsmaxTV, CNN, PBS, Bloomberg, BBC and had his own segment on SKY News. For seven years was the only Conservative columnist for the insufferably Liberal Huffington Post. He has written columns and articles for The Texas Insider, Newsmax, The Wall Street Journal Europe, Forbes.com, Fortune Small Business, The Financial Times, The Moscow Times, United Airline’s Hemispheres Magazine and many others.
