Generations Come Together Over Pickleball at the Oil City YMCA

| November 19, 2017


OIL CITY, Pa. – Stop by the Oil City YMCA gymnasium on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday morning and you’ll see people of all ages enjoying the sport of Pickleball.

Pickleball, which borrows from tennis, ping pong, and badminton, is more manageable, and fun. The game is easy to learn and is gentler on the joints than tennis, making it popular with young and old.

The ball is lighter than a tennis ball, the paddle shorter and there isn’t as much running back and forth. But the moderate exercise and social nature of the game keeps participants coming back.

Like table tennis, pickleball is played with a paddle, about eight inches wide and 15 inches long, including the handle, faced with plywood, graphite or composite. In singles or doubles, players serve underhand and diagonally from one side of the baseline, then the other. The ball must bounce before the serve is returned, and, unlike in tennis, the return, too, must bounce. Then volleying, or hitting midair before a bounce, can begin.

Research suggests that taking up Pickleball regularly can enhance mental health and well-being in older adults. The game provides moderate exercise and a place to connect with others. Many enjoy the friendly competition.

“We get the nets set up in the morning,” said Buzz Lockhart, an avid player. “We wait for people to start showing up around 9:00 a.m. We line the paddles up in the order they arrive with their names on them. Everybody can play, regardless of ability.”

Two courts are set up at the YMCA Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and on Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The Y has paddles available to borrow. Players rotate in and out of the game. Pickleball is a free program for members. Non-members can play for $5.00 per day.

Pickleball was born as a cross-generational game in 1965 when three dads in Washington State invented it to entertain their kids. According to the USA Pickleball Association, there are now nearly 4,000 places around the country where the game is played, more than doubling the total from 2010.

For more information, please call Katie Port at the Oil City YMCA at 814-677-3000.

For More Information

For more information about the Oil City YMCA and Y programs, please visit the YMCA website at www.oilcityymca.org, call 814-677-3000 and follow the Y on Facebook.

Hours

The Oil City YMCA fall hours are Monday through Friday 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and closed on Sundays.

(Article submitted by Michelle Murray, Marketing & Membership Director, Clarion County YMCA, Oil City YMCA, and YMCA Camp Coffman)

Oil City YMCA and exploreVenango.com have partnered to provide the community with YMCA News. This is an exclusive article only found on exploreVenango.com.


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