Pickleball takes off in Gisborne

Pickleball popularity peaks in Gisborne

The rising sport of pickleball has taken off in Gisborne.

What started as a small group of people playing in October 2021 has turned into 150 members, with up to 70 people turning up to one session.

“It’s the fastest-growing game in the world,” Pickleball Gisborne Club president Shelley Duncan said.

“We liken it to modern-day padder tennis — a take on tennis, table tennis and badminton.”

Founded in 1965, pickleball was created in the US by neighbours Joel Pritchard and Barney McCallum. Pritchard’s wife Joan said she named the game pickleball because it reminded her of “pickle boat”, where a rowing crew is made up of thrown-together members.

It is also rumoured that pickleball was named after the Pritchard family dog also named Pickleball. Such is the rapidly increasing popularity of the sport here, Pickleball Gisborne Club needs its own venue.

It has outgrown the venues it uses, which are at Gisborne Girls’ High School, Ilminster Intermediate and Badminton Eastland’s centre.

“The sport’s growing so big we need a home. That’s our goal. But we also need a million dollars and that’s not happening today, so we’re grateful to all those places that allow us to be part of their community,” Duncan said.

A competitive tennis player, Duncan took a bit of convincing to get involved but as soon as she took the court she was hooked.

“I had a friend who invited me along. I was like ‘pickleball? Yeah nah’.

“But I went . . . and I absolutely loved it,” she said.

“It’s good for a variety of people. You can play whether you are older or right down to the very young. It’s easy to learn.”

On Saturday, the club held a Paddle Battle fundraising event which made $3000 for cyclone relief. The tournament was won by Te Aorangi Harrington and Sally Bishop. Fourteen club members are travelling to Auckland tomorrow to compete in their first pickleball

competition proper.

The Mixed Super Doubles 2023 is being held in Albany and has attracted 200 entrants.