Letter to the Editor: Encourages others to learn how to play pickleball

As a local ambassador, I’d like to encourage everyone to take up a new sport that is relatively easy to learn and incredibly fun to play.

For the past four years, pickleball has become the fastest growing sport in the country. One reason for its popularity is that it’s one of the few indoor/outdoor recreational sports that family members can enjoy playing together for fun or as a competitive team.

Before you give pickleball a try, we’d like to encourage everyone to incorporate another type of exercise into their weekly routine. Focusing on improving your strength, balance, and agility are critically important if you hope to remain injury-free on the courts.

Pickleball is relatively easy to learn, with many new players improving pretty dramatically. To avoid injuries, new plays should be instructed on how to move on the court to avoid the risk of falling, such as avoiding back-peddling and playing with others who are at the same skill level. There are other preventative measures you can do, such as warming up before beginning play, wearing the right court shoes, and remaining well-hydrated.

The New Kent pickleball community consists of a variety of neighbors and newly formed social groups who have become fast friends. The “picklers” vary in age from 8 to 84, and we are very welcoming of new players at Pine Fork Park and on the courts in several community developments.

We look forward to introducing more people to pickleball, and we can’t wait to see you playing safely on the court this Spring!

Karen Martell
New Kent