Pickleball, the sport that gets American retirees active (and addicted)

From the seaside resorts of Oregon to the Amish farmyards of Pennsylvania, from the wealthy towns of Maryland to the playgrounds of Philadelphia, the same sound resonates everywhere: that of a light plastic ball, hit by a racket. Pickleball, this sport with a slightly crazy name (pickle means “pickle”), was invented in 1965 in Washington State, on the Pacific coast, by two friends who were looking to keep their children busy. They set up a badminton net at ground level, used table tennis rackets for lack of anything better, and started playing, adjusting the rules as they went. Today, this discipline is particularly popular with American seniors.

“In 2012, a friend suggested I play pickleball and I told him I would never play a sport with a name like thatremembers Dennis Poppe, 72 years old. Finally, I started doing it in 2017 and it was a revelation. I lost 25 kilos even though I wasn’t trying to lose weight. I take no medication despite being overweight most of my life and diagnosed with prediabetes. » Today, he plays several times a week and never travels without putting a racket and sneakers in his bag. “Unlike tennis, pickleball is a social sport. If I approach a court, the players will ask me to join them. And if you start playing tournaments, it’s like conventions Star Trek : you end up knowing everyone! »

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