The fastest growing sport in the country is called pickleball.Ok, really. Can you take anyone seriously when they pronounce they are “headed out to play pickleball?”Well, it turns out that a recent visit to the island’s school gym on a raw Sunday afternoon demonstrated with one glance that the name is perfect.For pickleball was born when one of the inventors of the game selected the name, a moniker given in the sport of crewing to “a weaker, mis-matched crew pulled together at the last minute from extra rowers that didn’t make their original team boat (hence a pickleboat).
And that’s the beauty of the game. I didn’t see a hodgepodge of rowers in a crew boat, but I did see a genuine cross-section of the island laughing out loud and playing their hearts out on three courts set side-by-side, smiles galore. Old and young, fit, and those working to become more fit, all trading the couch for an hour of genuine belly-laughs and exercise. It’s a sport that is easy to learn and fun for mixed groups, no matter the age, gender, or skill of the players.
Recreation Director Dave Sniffen says “Pickleball has really taken off on
