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| Vernon Worthen Park |
Okay. I’ll confess. I was a tennis snob. The day I saw
pickle ball courts take over the tennis courts adjacent to Vernon Worthen Park
in downtown St. George, was a day of mourning. Smaller courts. Silly paddles. Only
the weak, slow and retired could be opting for such a water-downed sport.
Imagine my consternation when I started seeing more tennis courts being adapted
for pickle ball and then when a whole pickle ball complex was installed at The Fields at Little Valley. What were
people thinking??? http://www.sgcity.org/departments/leisureservices/parks/park.php?id=129
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| Little Valley Park |
Yes, friends would suggest that I should give it a try. More
and more friends began inviting us to go play as a couple. I declined several
times—but I started to feel isolation creeping in to my choice of eliteness.
Wednesday night at the Summit was where we could find our friends, hanging out
on the %$@*$ pickle ball courts. I finally relented when our friends told us
they were going to bring extra paddles so that we could come and give it a try.
http://summitathleticclub.com/
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| Summit Athletic Club |
I stood on the court with paddle in hand, listening to the
crazy rules, trying to make peace with my step onto the dark side. We started
warming up, dinking the ball back and forth. My competitive juices started to
warm, as well, and it didn’t take long for those competitive impulses to take
over. The harder I hit the ball, the harder it came back. The more finesse I
used, the more finesse my opponents shoved right back. This little “paddle ball”
game grew into an all out war, and the moment I lost, I wanted back on the
court for a re-match. Sweat was pouring down my face, and I was guzzling water
to keep up the pace of this wuss sport. http://www.usapa.org/rules-summary/
Pickle Ball is described as a mix between ping pong, tennis
and badminton, all sports that I enjoy, and I could definitely feel a little of
each of those sports as I played.
Our evening ended. The façade of eliteness stripped away. I
was a convert. We discussed the best kinds of paddles and where to buy them as
we walked—humbly walked—off the courts. Tennis is still my first love—but pickle
ball has earned my respect and attention, and we’ll be back on the courts next
Wednesday. But for now I’ll go take some Ibuprofen and rub some icy hot on some
of those muscles that got whooped by Pickle Ball.
Pickle Ball Tournaments in St. George: http://www.sgcity.org/departments/recreation/adultsports/pickleball_tournaments.php
Looking for a spot in St. George? Find me at the pickle ball
courts or just call:
Chris at 435-313-3966
Or
Visit: www.whystgeorge.com
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