The sound is unmistakable
Only pickleball provides the soundtrack of wood slapping plastic along with grunts of effort and squeals of joy in victory or agony in defeat.
But it’s more than a game for Moundridge residents.
“I really do believe pickleball is one of the best things for people of all ages to get involved in,” Vicky Kessler said.
Kessler was the driving force for bringing the game to town.
In 2014, she was the Moundridge Recreation Commission director, and she wrote a grant to the Etc. Shop in Newton to help fund the purchase of pickleball supplies.
“We had a great amount of youth activities,” she said. “We did not have a lot of adult activities, so I was looking for things that would fit adults of all ages.”
Now, pickleball has swept the country, even being televised on stations such as ESPN.
Moundridge has gotten hooked too.
“It’s certainly grown since it began,” she said. “It’s just so popular and available.”
At first, the pickleball courts consisted of lines taped on the floor in Greer Gymnasium. Now there are six courts at the tennis court facility, and Greer still boasts three.
Groups of people reserve the spaces through Rec Director Jeremy Moore and play on a weekly basis.
Kessler said playing pickleball was a good way to stay active, but it also allows people to build friendships.
“There’s a camaraderie with pickleball players,” she said. “It’s very social.”
Carol Ward said she plays every Wednesday.
“It’s a fun way to get exercise,” she said.
Cindy Penner agreed.
“It’s been a good Moundridge connection for me,” she said. “Pickleball has been one of those places where I’ve gotten to know Moundridge people more and better.”
From the outside, pickleball might seem difficult to play or understand, but Kessler said that isn’t the case.
“It’s not as complicated as it seems,” she said. “You’ll catch on very quickly.”
Penner said the only tricky part is figuring out the scoring.
“People shouldn’t be afraid to try it,” she said.
Ward echoed this sentiment.
“It’s for everyone,” she said. “You just have to get out there.”
It even took Kessler a little bit of time to get the hang of the game at first.
“It wasn’t as natural for me,” she said. “I just really enjoyed it right away.”
Kessler said she encourages everyone to find a group they can join and give it a try.
“It is so fun,” she said.
(photos by Todd R. Vogts)
PICKLEBALL SCORING
- Points are scored only by the serving team.
- Games are normally played to 11 points, win by 2.
- Tournament games may be to 15 or 21, win by 2.
- When the serving team’s score is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10), the player who was the first server in the game for that team will be in the right-side court when serving or receiving; when odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9), that player will be in the left-side court when serving or receiving.
— via uspickleball.org
