Pickleball Paddles in the Villages Playing This Sport
Pickleball Paddles is a great sport for active adults and
there's no place where it's more popular than in The Villages FL. The Villages
FL is just North of Orlando in Florida and it's the largest active adult
community in the nation. Pickleball Paddles is definitely the "in
sport" in The Villages. Wherever you turn in The Villages you see people
playing Pickleball Paddles or hear them talking about wanting to learn more
about the game. In fact most people that move to The Villages wind up trying
the game at one time or another.
Wikipedia describes the game as; "Pickleball Paddles is
a racquet sport which combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis.
The sport is played on a court with the same dimensions as a doubles badminton
court. The net is similar to a tennis net, but is mounted two inches lower. The
game is played with a hard paddle and a polymer waffle ball."
The most popular story is that the game was named after the
sports founder's dog "Pickles." This is somewhat incorrect as the
founder's dog actually came along after the sport was invented and was actually
named after the sport. The sport was named by the wife of the founder who said
that the first hand shaped paddles resembled a "pickle boat."
There are 114 local courts available for Pickleball Paddles enthusiasts
in The Villages. Pickleball Paddles is a sport that is very accommodating to
the new player. Since most people that move to The Villages have never heard of
the sport when they move here, those that now play remember being in the same
situation and really bend over backward to help teach the game.
The Villages Recreation Dept. and the Pickleball Paddles
Community Volunteer Group (PCVG) will coordinate the Pickleball Paddles
activities in The Villages. The PCVG is the go to organization that provides
manpower and resources to help support the sport here in The Villages. Monthly
tournaments generally are fundraisers for various local causes. There are lots
of clinics for beginners, intermediate players as well as advanced Pickleball Paddlers.
As an example a recent tournament that was held prior to
Christmas required tournament participants to not pay a fee to enter, but
required toys for the Toys for Tots drive which supply’s toys to needy children
at Christmas time. Thanks to tournament entrants 74 shiny new toys were added
to the Toys for Tots collection.
There are lessons that are designed to get players up to the
intermediate level and even a regimented program of instruction that includes Pickleball
Paddles 101, 102 and 103. One of the most popular aspects of Pickleball Paddles is the social
groups. Participants describe these as competitive camaraderie. Competitions
are usually topped off with dinner, either at a restaurant, covered dish style
or cookout.
There are also rating clinics that are held by the PCVG that
help gauge a player’s skill. The ratings system, helps Villagers enter into
leagues and tournaments that will suit their playing ability. The system rates
players by ability level so they can match up against players of the same
level.
Each player's ratings are calculated by teams of judges. A
player is judged on their aptitude with the variety of shots the game demands:
Serves, serve return, volleys, smashes, dinks, forehands, backhands and several
other types of shots. After evaluating each player's skill level, judges decide
on a score. Beginners receive a 2.0 or 2.5 rating, intermediate players receive
a 3.0 or 3.5 rating, and advanced players receive a 4.0 or 4.5 rating. The PCVG
then works with the recreation department to schedule tournaments that have
tiers based on the 2.0-4.5 scale.
There are now several different offshoots of standard play.
Team Pickleball Paddles leagues, the singles Pickleball Paddles challenge
ladder and indoor Pickleball Paddles are among the newer additions to the Pickleball
Paddles schedule. The easiest way to get involved in the sport is simply to walk
onto the Pickleball Paddles courts at any of the participating recreation
centers and tell anyone around that you would like to play. Chances are, you
will be playing quickly and will receive all the information you need on
becoming a regular on the courts.
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