Pickleball Is Everywhere

Ron and I spent a week in Phoenix with some of his high school friends recently.  One of them, Ian, is an avid pickleball player, and he was kind enough to take me to the courts for a little exercise.  We arrived one morning around 8am.  All eight courts were full, and there were people waiting at each court.  There is no separation between courts, so it's a little chaotic with balls often rolling onto the court, but you get used to it.  The people were friendly, and there were lots of good players.

The interesting thing is that the players at the courts in Scottsdale came from all over.  Pickleball is everywhere!  Anchorage, Cleveland, Minnesota, Canada.  The guy we met from Anchorage liked the game so much he went home to Anchorage and built a court in his front lawn.  You can imagine how many new friends he has.

A friend of mine here in Oceanside recently returned from New Zealand, where he and his wife introduced the game to his brother.  They loved the game, and now it will spread in a small New Zealand neighborhood.

Somebody asked me the other day if I thought pickleball would ever become an Olympic sport.  I quickly said "No,"  but on second thought I think that is possible.  With the speed at which the sport has taken off, it's entirely possible.  If badminton can become an Olympic sport, why not pickleball?