How did we get here?

Pickleball and me, how did we get here?
Pt. 1

 

 Well, it's the age old story: boy meets pickleball, boy plays pickleball, boy falls in love with pickleball and gives it all his money (and time)....

The Tennis coach at our Tennis Club (Dave Earl of Boom) got together with one of the committee and painted an extra line on the mini tennis courts at the club (Redhill Tennis), put up a (largely misleading) introduction/rules of pickleball on the net and create a Saturday Spond session starting in October 2024.

A few of us rock up and start playing, disagreeing in our interpretation of the rules but having so much fun!!!

So, bit between teeth , away I go, download and read the rules, (and so much more) come back the next week and check the net height, to start with... too low...  Check the dimensions of the court (just right) - and more people have turned up to play, some with their own paddles (ooh...)...

More fun ensues, but everyone agrees we need to get right height nets if we are going to carry on. Then, in the middle of pilates, I realise the hall I'm in would be more or less the right size, and begin to think about playing indoors.

 So, off I go, again, and start finding nets... £100 later and the first net and my first paddle are on their way from Temu....

A revelation... once they arrive.. the paddle makes playing more fun, and the net changes play making dinking more interesting, and drives more tricky!

 By this point the days are getting dreary, and playing inside really appeals. I head to Donyngs and join (another) Dave's session on a Friday night - which is great - some better players, playing on Badminton courts, but running into the walls too much, and only one evening a week...

 Which leads me to start a WhatsApp group and find where else we could play....

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