Pickleball Becoming More Popular

Pickleball action in Vermilion. Photo Dawn Riley

Growing in popularity worldwide, Pickleball is a sport that offers year-round enjoyment to its players. In Vermilion, a group of players meet almost every weekday morning at Lakeland College in the fall and winter and the tennis courts on the east end of town in the warmer seasons.

For those who don’t know, pickleball is a court sport that combines badminton, tennis and ping pong. It follows the playing dimensions of a badminton court, with a net a little lower than the tennis regulation height, and paddles and balls that are similar to ping pong’s. Games are played to 11 points, and in order to score you must have served, and the ball has to land on the floor inside the boundaries. Like tennis, the game can be played with two or four players, which according to the local players, is much more fun.

Vermilion’s local pickleball players have been getting together for roughly seven years, and whoever is available to play meet at 9:30 a.m. for two hours of exercise, community interaction, and lots of laughter. During the cold months, when play happens at the college, participants pay each time they play (unless they have a college membership) and when they move to the tennis courts in the spring, playing is free of charge. The group loves to have new people join them, and will gladly welcome people of all ages to the court. If you would like to check the game out, drop in one morning, all you need is some loose-fitting clothing and clean indoor running shoes.

This past weekend six of the Vermilion players participated in the Alberta 55 plus Winter Games in Edmonton with six players from Lloydminster also.

Want to learn more about the sport before you try it out? There is a workshop on June 6 in Lloydminster for all levels of players. Contact 780-875-4529 for more information.

If you are ready to dive into pickleball and have some fun, you can contact Joanne Mones at 780-853-7319 to play in Vermilion, or Dean Gadke at 780-853-7257 to check out Mannvilles pickleball players.