Have you ever heard of Pickleball?

It’s not a bottled culinary treat or the latest craze sweeping schools, but a fast, fun paddle sport that was invented over 50 years ago.

It may not be sweeping schools (yet), but it is sweeping through the sports centres across the Bay and throughout New Zealand.

Bob & Viv Smith head the Mount Pickleball club, which has over 80 active members at last count, the eldest being 79 years old! The club currently play at the Mount Sports Centre, the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre and Trustpower Arena. Pickleball lines have recently been added to the Trustpower Arena court in recognition of this growing sport.

“We currently have 3 day-times sessions, so membership is a high proportion of retirees and some shift workers. However, Pickleball is a great sport and is for everyone to enjoy. The new evening session at Tauranga Boys College is producing some younger players and we are also exploring the possibility of an outdoor court area for summer Pickleball, says Bob Smith.

We are lucky to have one of three recognised Pickleball coaches in NZ living here in Papamoa. Paul Cubitt has come along to some of our sessions to offer coaching for beginners and club members support newcomers to learn the rules.’’

The Mount Pickleball Club was the most successful club at the 2022 Wellington Pickleball Cup held over Waitangi weekend. They came away with 10 medals; four golds, four silvers and two bronze.

So how do you play Pickleball? The game was invented by three dads in the summer of 1965 in Washington. They combined elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis (with sporting equipment they had to hand at the time) to invent a fun new game for their bored children.

The game is played on a badminton size court, traditionally with two (singles) or four (doubles) players. Each player has a paddle and hits the ball back and forth. Games go to 11 or 15, one point at a time. The serve is underhand and cross court, the returning team hits it back once the ball has bounced. The ball can only bounce once per side and there’s a non-volley zone called ‘the kitchen’.

‘’The main objective is to have fun’’ enthuses Smith, ‘’Pickleball is also a great aerobic exercise, as you move a lot of body parts and it’s very sociable.’’

Interested in giving it a go? You can find the Mount Pickleball Club on Facebook.