By Gregg Voss – Red Line Editorial
Joyce Jones took home plenty of hardware from the National Senior Games, winning silver in the 50-meter dash and gold in the 100-meter.
And she wasn’t done. The Seattle resident finished the week on the pickleball court, winning the age 85-plus women’s singles tournament, beating a spry 85-year-old in the final match at the Games, held July 24-Aug. 4 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Jones was down 11-8 at one point, then rallied to win 15-12.
“I always have a great time at the National Senior Games,” Jones said with a chuckle.
She’s had that competitive spirit her whole life; Jones has won 18 United States Tennis Association national championships.
But she adores pickleball, and she should, since the game was invented on Bainbridge Island across Puget Sound near Seattle. She and her late husband knew the creator of the game, and she even played a role in getting pickleball added to the Games as a demonstration sport in 2011.
From there, her love for the sport grew tremendously.
“It’s so enjoyable off the bat, you can get exercise and it’s so social,” she said. “I’ve played badminton and tennis all my life. In those sports, it’s hard enough to learn to get good rallies and points. In pickleball, you just enjoy yourself at the beginning.”
If you need proof of pickleball’s popularity, consider that there were 2,125 participants in this year’s Games, according to Sue Hlavacek, the CEO of the National Senior Games Association. The sport has grown substantially from 362 participants in 2013, when it became an official sport at the National Senior Games.
What you might not expect is the fact that Hlavacek said the Games could have had as many as 5,000 players this year, but there weren’t enough venues and courts to meet the demand.
As it was, pickleball occupied 42 courts at the Iowa Events Center, with an additional 13 at nearby Dink’s Pickleball. That accommodated 110 divisions of play, based on age and skill level, according to tournament commissioner Mike Hoxie.
But why? Why the explosion of interest in the sport? Hoxie and Hlavacek have their theories.
“It’s easy to pick up, and it’s very addicting,” Hoxie said, “and if you have a competitive streak in you, you want to play in tournaments and show how good you are. There are indoor facilities being built. There are private investors coming in. Availability is a big deal as to why this sport continues to explode.”
Hlavacek said pickleball is no fad, and it has the staying power of any other sport.
“Overall, I think pickleball has expanded for our demographic because a lot of pickleball players have switched to pickleball from tennis,” she said. “A pickleball court is smaller. The ball is faster in tennis and slower in pickleball. They can still play a game that is competitive and have success.”
Fran Myer, who will be 80 next year, was inducted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame in 2018. While she got into the Hall of Fame mainly for creating the first pickleball retail website, she showed off her skills on the court at the Games by winning a silver in women’s singles and women’s doubles.
“One thing that got it so popular during COVID, we were so isolated, people were depressed and unable to do their workout at the gym,” Myer said. “If you have outdoor courts, (people think) ‘Oh, maybe I can do that.’ And then it’s terrifically easy to learn.
“Anybody can play this game. We have wheelchair divisions. I don’t know how many sports are that inclusive. You don’t need to buy expensive equipment.”
Really, all you need is a pickleball paddle and gym shoes. Paddles are available from most sporting goods retailers, but even big-box retailers now have dedicated pickleball areas. So, finding equipment shouldn’t be a problem.
Hlavacek and Hoxie said that one’s local recreation center is a good place to start when jumping into pickleball. Hoxie encourages any first-time player to take an introductory class at a rec center.
“(There are) open pickleball games, lots of people giving lessons at rec centers,” Hlavacek said. “There are lots of opportunities to learn the game. I see people on the courts all the time.”
Myer said that USA Pickleball’s website is a good resource because prospective players can find an ambassador for the sport in their area. That ambassador can direct you to a place to play or even provide instructions on their own.
Since pickleball is so easy to pick up, a relative newbie to the sport could compete at the next National Senior Games in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2027.
Jones is planning on it.
“I’ve entered them every year since they started in 1987,” she said. “I only missed one for a knee replacement.”
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Gregg Voss is a journalist based in the Chicago suburbs who has been writing sports for newspapers and magazines for more than 20 years. He is a freelance contributor to USA Pickleball on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
