Pickle Ball: Old Sport, New Game for Physical Activity

By Susan Wilk and Ashley King

What’s all the hype about Pickle Ball in Riverhead?

Actually, let’s take a few steps back and answer the first part to this question: What IS Pickle Ball?

From a distance, what would look like as your average tennis match, is actually a similar game played with a whiffle-type ball and larger ping pong paddles. The court remains very similar to that of tennis, with smaller dimensions and a lower net.

The game is typically seen played during the warmer seasons or in parts of the country where the “snow birds” flock to in the winter. Here in Riverhead that is not the case. We have recently received a huge influx of avid pickle ball players who are finding places to play every chance they get, whether it be in the school gymnasium, outdoor tennis courts, or setting up a game on the basketball courts… there is no off-season for Pickle Ball!

As an outsider, the game may seem like a fairly simple concept and you are bound to be judgmental about the “older” generation playing it. Let me tell you from experience, these players are not your average grandparents, they are fit, healthy, and I’d consider them more then worthy opponents on any court!

We challenge you to pick up a paddle and try it out for yourself, perhaps the term “respect your elders” will take on a whole new meaning once you do… You just may find new meaning for filling in the generation gap or two!

Check back with the Riverhead Recreation Department for the Spring Pickle ball Tournament!

Visit our websites to learn more about physical activity and events in the Town of Riverhead as well as partnerships, programing and projects through a NYSDOH grant funded program to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County called Creating Healthy Places in Suffolk County.

Susan Wilk is the Project Coordinator for Creating Healthy Places, a division of the Family Health & Wellness Program at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. She can be reached at 631-727-7850 ext. 385 or srw32@cornell.edu.

Ashley King contributed to this blog. She is the Recreation Department Project Coordinator for the Town of Riverhead. She can be reached at 631-727-5744 or king@townofriverheadny.gov. Visit their website or blog for more information.