Community cultivated through pickleball
Originally created as a fun familial summer activity, pickleball was popularized as a less strenuous alternative to tennis. Due to its relatively simple rules and small court, the game is favored among senior citizens and teenagers alike. What was created as a way to beat summer boredom has amassed into a sport with its own leagues, regulations and national championship.
Teens in Newbury Park have picked up this hobby as an athletic way to interact with their friends, and some even enter competitions. A competitive pickleball player, Ben Morales, senior, began playing with his mom as a quarantine hobby but now plays in doubles tournaments with his friend. Morales and his teammate prepare for competitions against other local players through routine training. “The practice is pretty independent, but I have friends who I practice with,” Morales said.
Morales enjoys the versatility of pickleball as a sport for all age ranges and ability levels. “[My opponents] range from old guys to young kids,” said Morales. Pickleball is a very community oriented sport with a history of bringing people together. Morales notes that it is a relatively simple game to teach to his friends so they can all play together. Charly Taylor, senior, loves the community aspect of the sport. She often goes to Del Prado park with her friends in the evenings to play whenever she has a chance.
“[Pickleball is] like a large version of ping pong … there’s two sides and you have to kind of work with your partner,” Taylor said. Pickleball is played either doubles or singles, a similarity to tennis. Unlike tennis, however, a team can only score points when it is their serve. The court has a section in the middle that the net divides called the kitchen, which players are not allowed to serve into or enter unless the ball has bounced there.
Pickleball courts at Del Prado and Ranch Conejo have become common teen hangouts that Taylor frequents. “I think that rallying and smashing the ball at other people is really fun,” Taylor said.
Senior Dev Doshi often plays pickleball at Del Prado. “Pickleball is a great game that I can enjoy with my friends and family,” Doshi said. As an avid athlete, Doshi finds pickleball to be a less strenuous way to have fun.
“Anyone can play and you can often find people to play pickup games with,” Doshi said. He enjoys the way pickleball unites his community, people of all ages and occupations can be found on the courts.
“[My favorite part of a game] is getting up to the kitchen line and playing,” Morales said. The kitchen is the front part of a pickleball court that players cannot step in unless the ball bounces in it.
Although he enjoys tournaments, Morales still appreciates the versatility of pickleball and its non-competitive aspects.“It is really easy to teach anybody, like your friends,” Morales said.
