Pickleball

The first time I heard of pickleball was when I was in high school, where I was introduced to it during gym class. It felt like a weird combination of ping pong and tennis, though more like giant ping pong trying to be more like tennis. At the time I thought it would be the last I ever heard of the game (similar to when I played sproutball at Interlochen).

I first noticed the popularity of pickleball in the Seattle area when I saw a pickleball court at a public park while I was riding the bus to Northgate. I was further alerted to the activity's presence here when I moved into a new apartment and the swim and tennis club next door had a pickleball court. Every once in a while I can hear the unmistakable sounds of pickleball being played throughout the summer.

I did a little research and learned that the game was invented in (very) close-by Bainbridge Island. There are even local rec leagues and a good number of parks/community centers/etc have pickleball courts that are accessible to the public. This feels so random...