Enjoying the scenic natural setting and beautiful summer weather at Duck Mountain Provincial Park recently at the Madge Lake tennis/pickleball court was a group of four enthusiasts of pickleball, a sport they’d like to see expanded.
Pickleball is a paddleball sport that was invented in the mid-1960s and combines elements of tennis, badmintonand table tennis. In it, two or four players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a perforated polymer ball, with 26 to 40 round holes, over a net, according to Wikipedia. The sport shares features of other racquet sports: the dimensions and layout of a badminton court, and a net and rules somewhat similar to tennis, with several modifications.
In pickleball there are no age or mobility restrictions, said Anne Stupak, who is a member of the Yorkton Pickleball Club, which uses specially-marked tennis courts on which to play in the summer and a gymnasium in the winter.
“It’s a hand-eye skill,” said Brenda Andrews of Cote Siding, who as a resident of Prescott, Arizona in the winters, is a member of the Prescott Pickleball Association.
The game is about socializing with others while obtaining light exercise,” said Warren Andrews.
“The games are over quickly, and it’s a lot of fun,” Stupak added.
“We’d love to see a pickleball group formed to play regularly in Kamsack,” Brenda said.
