Pickleball is growing in popularity across America, and here in Iola. A mix of different sports, pickleball has a dedicated following in Iola. So what exactly is Pickleball?
Lyle Kern, one of the more seasoned pickleball players in the area, tells it best.
“I tell people it’s like if you could stand on a ping-pong table and play ping-pong,” Kern said. “You have a paddle made of wood and a ball that’s more like a wiffleball instead of a tennis ball. It doesn’t bounce nearly as high. You can get four pickleball courts in one tennis court. Some of the rules like how to serve and volley are similar to tennis.”
Pickleball uses a hard plastic ball. For playing outside, the balls are dotted with small holes. For inside play, the holes are larger.
Kern was introduced to pickleball by family and from there, Iolans were too.
“I started it about 14 years ago,” Kern said. “My brother and his son lived in California and got wind of pickleball and shortly after, I messed up my arm and couldn’t serve a tennis ball like I used to. I made a couple of homemade paddles and bought a wiffleball and started playing with my daughter and then we started playing with a couple of people and it grew.”
The United States of America Pickleball Association, USAPA, is the sanctioning body for competitive pickleball tournaments. The 2018 national tournament paid out $75,000 in total prize money across different divisions.
The future of pickleball is anyone’s guess. Right now Florida State University and the U.S. Naval Academy have pickleball teams.
“They have talked about pickleball in the Olympics, but it could be 20 years before that happens,” Kern said.
For Iola, Kern persuaded Iola Council members to allow him to convert the tennis courts in Meadowbrook Park over to eight pickleball courts. Kern believes they may be the first in the state.
In retirement communities, pickleball has become a big social activity.
“Older people love pickleball,” Kern said. “It’s social so it has taken over the old bridge card games and they can get some light exercise. It doesn’t matter if you can grip the ball perfectly, as long as you hit it back, you are playing pickleball.”
