Huntington Quarterly Summer 2022

I think the wonderful thing about the pickleball community is the varying level of skill it takes to participate and enjoy success.There’s camaraderie, and no age limit. It’s social time, which is so important for people’s well-being. Two-and-a-half years in a pandemic have shown us how important that is.” Dan Hollis agrees. Also, it’s satisfy ing just to hear the sound when the pickleball meets the paddle, he said. “The whack of the paddle — it’s fun,” saidHollis, a journalismprofessor at Marshall who picked up pickleball about a year ago after working on a

Pickleball has exploded in popularity in Huntington and throughout the country.

A s you’re walking through Ritter Park, you can hear it. It’s a higher-pitched sound than that of a tennis ball hitting a racket, but it’s lower-pitched than the “ping” of a ping pong ball against a paddle. It’s often accompanied by laughter and friendly chatter. It’s the sound of pickleball, or, more specifically, the sound of the whiffle ball used in pickleball smacking against the paddle. And it’s a sound that you hear a lot more than you did 10 years ago, as the sport has exploded in popularity, here in Huntington and throughout the country. The Sports and Fitness Industry Association named pickleball the nation’s fastest-growing sport in 2022. The USA Pickleball Association reported 4.8 million players in 2021, up almost 15% from 2020, and growing at an average rate of 11.5% over the previous five years. Some take up pickleball —which is played on a smaller court than tennis — because they can enjoy the thrill of competition without the strain of a full-on tennis match. They get a good workout while meeting other players and making new friends. While most pickleball players are middle-aged and older, the whole mix of local pickleball enthusiasts ranges in age from young adults to seniors and is growing by the month. Some lean toward serious competition, while others are just having a good time. “Pickleball allows me to stay competitive and continue playing and recreating and doing the things that I love,” said Linda Holmes, a former volleyball and softball coach for Marshall University who now serves as director of development and alumni relations for Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. She’s also a lover of tennis. “I’ve always loved racket sports,” she said. “And this is a great social opportunity. You can meet so many people.

(Above) While most pickleball players are middle-aged and older, the whole mix of local pickleball players ranges in age from young adults to seniors and is growing by the month. (Below) Linda Holmes is an avid local pickleball competitor.

story abot the sport’s growing popularity. “I thought, ‘That looks like fun.’Then I picked up a paddle, and sure enough ... Now I play two or three times a week.” Admittedly, Hollis said, he’s not one of the serious players out there to smear the court with his compe tition. But fortunately

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