By Jim Hammond
You might think that a 93-year-old man might spend his time at an area senior center playing Bingo, or sitting on his front porch rocking away and thinking about the ‘good old days.’
But Eric Maslen spends his time at the Attleboro YMCA playing a spirited game of pickleball. And Eric is only one of thousands in the area that have become pickleball fanatics.
Marsea McGonagle is the director of marketing for the Attleboro Y and told me about Eric, and the pickleball fanatics in our area.
“I am obsessed with pickleball,” she said.
And the demand keeps growing. If you want to try your hand at pickling there are many locations for the novice pickler in the North Attleborough and Attleboro areas.
The Attleboro Y has open-play for pickleball at 8 a.m. with courts available at 7 p.m., three nights a week. There is a total of12 leagues, but even if you are a novice, you are welcome to join in during open play hours. Pickleball is also available at the North Attleborough Y. If you like to pickle outdoors there are three courts at the Tilda B. Stone Park at 700 S. Main Street in Attleboro.
So how did this sport, which is currently played by over 45 million Americans, become so popular?
Pickleball was invented in 1965 by three friends who were vacationing on Bainbridge Island in Washington. According to the “official magazine of pickleball,” Frank, a 13-year-old son of one of the golfing buddies was complaining that there was, “nothing to do.”
His dad said he would “make up a game just like kids used to do.” The family had a paved badminton court, so they decided to rummage through a shed and discovered a pair of ping pong paddles and a perforated wiffle ball.
The game has developed into an international pastime for a number of reasons. In addition to the exercise, it does not cost much to get started. You can buy sophisticated paddles for $300, but I saw paddles on the web for only $25, and a pack of balls was $8.
Readers of the North Star Reporter can now take up the game and make new friends who are pickleball fanatics. The Attleboro and North Attleborough Y welcomes all to their courts.
If you want some specific training for the sport, Houghton Physical Therapy in Attleboro employs the latest techniques including performance therapy, dry needling and something called cupping. Call their skilled staff for details.
And of course, Sturdy Hospital has been serving the health needs of our community for 110 years. Sturdy is expanding and now includes 26 healthcare locations.
So, there you have it. And if you develop a talent for the game remember, there is a professional pickleball league. Last year top-ranked pickleballer, Ben Johns, made over $2 million, plus endorsements. See you on the court.
