Pickleball is the fastest growing racquet sport in North America. Plenty of snow birds travel south for the winter where the sport has grown to massive proportions, and once these snow birds make their way back home to the St. Thomas and London area, they seem to be bringing their newfound passion for the sport with them.
Pickleball was first created in the mid 1960’s, and it is a blend of badminton, tennis and ping pong. It is played both indoors and outdoors, on a badminton sized court with a slightly modified tennis net. The racquets are typically square in shape and are constructed of wood or carbon fibre. The ball is a softball-sized plastic ball with holes in it. Scoring in pickleball is fairly straightforward, and games typically go to 11 (win by 2 points), although scoring can differ between singles and doubles play. To find out all you ever wanted to know about pickleball scoring, as well as tips on how to play, check out the St. Thomas Pickleball Club website: www.stthomaspickleball.ca.
In an exciting turn of events for the club, the City of St. Thomas has committed to investing $850,000 for new outdoor tennis and pickleball courts at Pinafore Park in the fall of 2016. This should provide plenty of playing opportunities for the general public.
Where can you play pickleball outdoors?
St. Thomas: Pinafore Park (4 Outdoor Courts with portable nets). These courts are reserved for club members only between May 1 – Oct. 31, Tuesday & Thursday 6-10pm – Pinafore Park St Thomas. Eight new dedicated courts will be available at Pinafore in the spring of 2017.
London: Foxfield District Park (2 Outdoor courts) Sunningdale Rd W & Denview Ave.
Woodstock: 176 Park Row (2 dedicated outdoor courts with permanent nets)
If you are looking to get into the sport and don’t know where to start, stop by Of Courts in London (www.ofcourts.ca). Located at Oxford and Talbot, they carry all the equipment you need to get started: Shoes, paddles, balls, paddle bags, etc. And they can also guide you on how to find a place near you to play. Mention this article and receive 10% off any pickleball related purchase!
Story and photos submitted by OF COURTS
