GREENFIELD — When Penny Hicks shows up to play pickleball, she means business. Dressed in a white tennis skirt and tie-dyed tank top — an outfit she rocks — the 70-year old is a formidable presence on the court.
On a recent Saturday morning, Hicks and two dozen others hauled camp chairs and coolers to the tennis-turned-pickleball courts for three hours of socializing and competitive fun.
As the largest U.S. age demographic at 71 million strong, baby boomers can also lay claim to the fastest growing sport: pickleball.
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All ages can play, but pickleball seems to be a sport made to order for aging populations. Although it’s typically played on a tennis court, blue lines — painted over and alongside the white lines of tennis — delineate a smaller area of play.
The rules are a mix of ping-pong and tennis.
The game of pickleball is usually played to a score of 11. Only the serving team can win a point. Points are earned when the other team commits a fault, and then the opposing team gets to serve. Play continues until 11 or one team wins by two. The game rules include several bounce and zone rules to prevent a blowout by any one team.
The rackets used for pickleball are called paddles — they are about the size of a racquetball racket, but solid like a ping-pong paddle. The sport uses a ball the size of a tennis ball, but it looks more like a very sturdy wiffleball.
Pickleball players in Greenfield can be found — indoors or outdoors — six days a week. The group plays indoors at the Memorial Building, 98 E. North St., from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays. As long as the weather is nice, pickleball enthusiasts can play at Riley Park, 280 N. Apple St., from 9 a.m. to noon Fridays and Saturdays, and from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Invented in 1965 by three dads — Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum — in an attempt to entertain their children on vacation, theories abound as to the origins of the name for pickleball. Some say the game was named after the Pritchard’s dog, Pickles, but Pritchard’s wife Joan claims a different story. The blend of sports that made up pickleball reminded her of pickleboats in the sport of rowing. The crew of the pickleboat was chosen from the leftovers of the other boats; hence, pickleball was made up from other games.
Like many in the baby-boomer age bracket, a number of the group winters in Florida. It was there that some of the members became acquainted with pickleball and brought the sport back home to Greenfield.
Pickleballer Judy Pike gives credit where credit is due.
“It was Janet Smith,” Pike said. “She asked the parks department if she could put on a clinic and 20 people showed up.”
The group numbered 14 this sunny Saturday morning, but according to Hicks as many as 25 or 30 have shown up to play.
Of the six tennis courts at Riley Park, two are painted for pickleball. With two on each team, there is sufficient court space for eight players at a time. The group cites the growing popularity of the game as a need for more pickleball courts.
The group has been working with Greenfield Parks & Recreation toward the possibility of adding courts in the future.
“Lots of us were tennis players,” said Hicks. “We’re old now. That’s the reason we moved to pickleball.”
As one of those former tennis players, Jan Hatoway’s tennis game had lapsed. Then she saw people playing pickleball. She approached a friend who played and asked if he would give her a tryout to determine if she was good enough to play with the group. He gave her a thumbs-up, and Hatoway has been playing three or four days a week for a year.
“It’s something I wanted to do for my health and I don’t have to go to the gym,” Hatoway said. “I come over here and play and my husband has joined me.”
