I first heard about pickleball in 2014 when I worked for a local newspaper. A local politician was promoting a newly opened pickleball court for seniors. When I got the press release, I first recalled laughing at how ridiculous this representative looked trying to be an athlete.
But the next thought that came to my mind was, “what is pickleball?” After some research, I gained a basic grasp of the game, but soon after I put it out of my mind.
Fast forward almost a decade, and while I’ve still never played the game and my understanding is still rudimentary—one thing I know for sure is pickleball has continued to spread to many places. One of those places is Overland Park, Kans., which was recently proclaimed the “Most Pickleball Obsessed City” in the United States.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the sport’s popularity exploded, with Google searches for “how to play pickleball” increasing by nearly 300 percent between 2020 and 2023. And for those who think pickleball is a sport for “old people,” one of the most prolific players of the game is 17-year-old Anna Leigh Waters. The young athlete captured eight triple crowns this year with victories in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. This is truly a sport that is being played by all kinds of people.
Perhaps this summer is the time I join the pickleball revolution.
