Pickleball: It's Kind of a Big Dill

The game has an interesting history.  Back in 1965 three dads living on Bainbridge Island near Seattle put their heads together because their kids were bored with nothing to do.  They gave the kids homemade wooden paddles and a wiffleball and started a game on their badminton court with some basic rules of play.  Later, they lowered the net to 3 feet high which proved to be the biggest game changer in the game.  Now instead of lobbing the ball over the 6 foot net, it could be hit more forcefully and speed up the action of the game.  They called it Pickleball.

Since then pickleball has grown by leaps and bounds so that now it has become the fastest growing sport in the U.S. and played by more than 2.5 million people.

Frank Schoenbeck, events coordinator at Mountain View Lutheran Church, felt this would be another way to bring people to the church campus, while also enjoying a climate-controlled environment for their favorite game.  He started with 2 courts and opened play for 2 hours on 3 days of the week.  Regular players showed up and bought punch cards at a reduced rate.  With funds generated, Frank bought another net and opened a third court.  The fee is $2.00 per session.  "That's a bargain, compared to what others charge," explained one of two court monitors.

Beginning in May, the courts are open five days a week with Thursday billed as Family Night.  Parents are invited to bring their kids.  Paddles and balls are provided, although most of the regulars bring their own paddle.  The hours:

• Monday:  10:00 am - 2:00 pm
• Tuesday:  11:00 am - 1:00 pm
• Wednesday:  9:00 am - 11:00 am
• Thursday:  6:30 pm - 8:30 pm (Family Night)
• Friday:  9:00 am - 11:00 am

Church membership is not an issue although a recent player indicated her family had recently moved to the area from Iowa and wanted to know about joining the church.  Frank turned her name over to Pastor Friedrich for follow-up.