2014 IART Symposium to Offer Seminar on Pickleball

Having been involved with tennis for the better part of 35 years, it seems I’ve always been around one racquet sport or another all my life. In my early years, there was always a ping pong table in the house, and the entire family enjoyed the game. Then, in my early 20s I discovered tennis and I’ve been involved in one aspect or another with that game ever since I discovered it. But now, there’s a new racquet sport taking the country by storm, and it’s a combination of tennis, ping pong, and badminton. It’s called Pickleball. I’m excited to inform everyone that this year at the IART symposium we’re going to have Ben Porter of Viking give us an inside look into the sport. Not only will Ben be offering up a nice seminar on Pickleball, I’m currently checking out one of the indoor facilities at Saddlebrook to see if the surface will accommodate Pickleball and if it will, we plan to lay out a few courts and give everyone a chance to experience what this phenomenon is all about.

You can build your own Pickleball courts or, as in the photo at right, convert existing tennis courts into Pickleball courts. One tennis court can be converted into 4 Pickleball courts or, you can simply build your own Pickleball complex designed specifically for the sport. The courts and rules are very similar to tennis with a few modifications. There’s a “zone” near the net that’s off limits to keep the game interesting and the court surface is much like that of a tennis court. The game is played with a wooden paddle and a plastic whiffle ball with holes, much the same as the whiffle balls I used to bat around in my back yard as a kid. All in all, it looks like a lot of fun and great exercise.

Now I know what some of you may be saying. Hey Tim, I can’t string a Pickleball racquet so what’s the idea of hosting a Pickleball seminar at the symposium. My answer is very simple. While it’s true you can’t string a Pickleball racquet, you can certainly sell them along with the accessories needed for the game and that, my friends, can be a great way to generate additional revenue for any racquet sports shop!

Here’s a nice video you can check out to learn a little bit about Pickleball that might just whet your appetite for what’s in store in Tampa this year!