ALLEN COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - 16 teams from across West Central Ohio participated in a round-robin Pickleball tournament hosted by the Senior Citizens Services on Saturday. This over-50 crowd put on their game faces to have some fun and enjoy themselves on the new courts at the center.
“I am so glad that we can offer this for people that want to thrive in life and still go out and do things and play in a Pickleball Tournament,” says Ashley Heaphy, Ex Dir. Senior Citizens Services. “For some people playing today (Saturday), this is their first tournament that they have ever played in, and to say that at 65, 50 this is the first tournament I have ever played in I think it’s pretty awesome.”
The game is like a combination of Tennis, Ping Pong, with maybe a little Racquetball thrown in. But whatever racket sports these athletes have played in the past, they have made Pickleball their future.
“Tennis is more of a power game. Pickleball you have to be able to, they call it danks, and you have to be able to have fast reactions,” says Stanton O’Neal, who has been playing Pickleball for 10 months. “But you don’t have to cover as much court. So, it is nicer for the older people because they can come out here and play. The games are shorter, you can rest between.”
Some of these players have only been playing for a few months, and it didn't take them long to get hooked.
“We do have definitely ‘net love’, as we call it,” says Sibel Yildiz, who has been playing Pickleball for 8 months. “So, we enjoy it, we practice almost every day.”
“I had some racket sport background, like Racquetball, but didn’t really play competitively just recreationally, “adds Katie Tawney who has been playing Pickleball for 3 months. “Got started in July playing Pickleball and I love it. Pickleball is life.”
For players who have been enjoying Pickleball for a few years now, they see no downside to this sport.
“What I really like about the sport, it keeps me active,” says Malachi Lindsey, who has been playing Pickleball for 3 years now. “It helps out with my Neuropathy in my feet. It keeps my weight down, keeps my eye coordination, keeps me flexible. It is just a stay-in-shape type of sport.”
“It has it’s benefits as far as it helps your eye-hand coordination,” adds Stephanie Pettigrew, who has been playing Pickleball for 3 years now. “My husband and I, we experience back pain but if we can play consistently we find that it alleviates a lot of the pain and aches we suffer as we get older. (laughs)”
According to the USA Pickleball Association there are around 4 million players in the country right now, and with the enthusiasm that these players have for the sport, you can see why that is growing every year.
