Sports 🥌 pickleball and other "sports"

[MD Planner]

I played pickleball and did a 20 mile bike ride today. Just relaxing on the sofa and watching bad movies. About to grill up some wings.

Moderator note:

Maister: split from Confessions IV thread. Carry on.

 

[DVD]

Playing pickle ball is a confession. That's almost man card pull worthy if you're not over 65.

 

[MD Planner]

Playing pickle ball is a confession. That's almost man card pull worthy if you're not over 65.

Trust me, you would not say that if you played with very skilled players. It is very competitive and a lot of fun.

 

[DVD]

I had to deal with a bunch of retirees demanding the city turn parks to pickleball courts because their HOA didn't have enough courts. It's fun trying to convince old people that there are young people in the city who prefer things like basketball. I'm forever jaded against pickleball.

 

[Doohickie]

TIL what pickleball is.

 

[DVD]

If you ask my it's old people tennis. They like it because it's tennis on a smaller court played with a wiffle ball and table tennis racket. Which means it requires very little moving for the retirees to be "active". Before MD comes down on my please see the above message where I say I'm jaded for life on this sport. And yes, my first reaction was WTF is pickleball and they explained all about how it's the greatest sport ever in Seattle or wherever snowbird place they came from and that it would bring all kinds of tourist dollars into the city and solve world hunger.

You can look it up on the interweb yourself, but this picture covers it (remember I worked in a Phoenix suburb that was 1/3 retiree with a population over 100k. There are better pics out there, but they were to big for this website.

 

[Shellac And Vinyl VelocitY]

Playing pickle ball is a confession. That's almost man card pull worthy if you're not over 65.

Trust me, you would not say that if you played with very skilled players. It is very competitive and a lot of fun.

If you ask my it's old people tennis. They like it because it's tennis on a smaller court played with a wiffle ball and table tennis racket. Which means it requires very little moving for the retirees to be "active". Before MD comes down on my please see the above message where I say I'm jaded for life on this sport. . . .

Are you sure that you have no capacity to reconsider your jaded-for-life opinion about the sport?
In your fair state a few years ago: (And they're actually pretty good...)

 

[DVD]

Are you sure that you have no capacity to reconsider your jaded-for-life opinion about the sport?
In your fair state a few years ago: (And they're actually pretty good...)

That one is in the TND. It's there because we refused to alter portions of our professional tennis complex (biggest in state and hold multiple just under big time tennis things). Despite the absolute outcry from the retiree crowd.

Also, this is not my experience of the average pickleball player. It would be like saying I'm the average frisbee golfer (another WTF sport).

Still jaded for life, but if other want to play then let them play.

 

[MD Planner]

While it's true that pickleball is very hot with the older crowd it is also growing exponentially with other sectors. I believe it will be an Olympic sport within the next 10 years. One of the things that I think makes it so great is that is is a very "scaleable". The older, less mobile players can still get out there and just hit the ball around with similar people and those with more athletic skills can play a much different game. That's why there are ratings for those who play in tournaments. I play with some seriously good and competitive people here and get a tremendous workout a few times a week. I've been playing for 3.5 years now and I'd play everyday if I could. It's a lot of fun and also a very social sport.

 

[DVD]

It's not a sport unless there is beer and a cigar involved. Now get off my lawn. Also, golf is not a sport, it's walking around making business deals while drinking and smoking.

 

[Bubba]

Also, golf is not a sport, it's walking around making business deals while drinking and smoking.

You say that like it's a bad thing...

 

[DVD]

Just saying it's not a sport, mostly because I suck at it, but I do enjoy the wandering around drinking and smoking part.

 

[Hink]

Just saying it's not a sport, mostly because I suck at it, but I do enjoy the wandering around drinking and smoking part.

There would be a lot less sports if the main factor for them being a sport is my skill at them.

 

[MD Planner]

I have my own personal definition of "sport". If it involves something measurable, i.e. points, runs, higher, faster, longer etc. then it is a sport. But if it involves a judge assigning a subjective value it's not a sport. In my opinion. Said event can certainly be an athletic competition that involves much skill, but it's not a sport according to me. Haha! Let the flames of outrage commence!

 

[Maister]

Speaking of sports you might not consider 'sports' at first blush, has anyone ever watched teams from Malaysia and Singapore play badminton? You and I hold a beer in one hand and a racket in the other playing with your 9 year old niece at the family back yard cookout. But those athletes that play in East Asia tournaments take that game SERIOUSLY.

I have my own personal definition of "sport". If it involves something measurable, i.e. points, runs, higher, faster, longer etc. then it is a sport. But if it involves a judge assigning a subjective value it's not a sport. In my opinion. Said event can certainly be an athletic competition that involves much skill, but it's not a sport according to me. Haha! Let the flames of outrage commence!

What?! That would take diving, figure skating, gymnastics, and that thing where they prance around twirling a ribbon thingie right out of the Olympics!

 

[Hink]

I have my own personal definition of "sport". If it involves something measurable, i.e. points, runs, higher, faster, longer etc. then it is a sport. But if it involves a judge assigning a subjective value it's not a sport. In my opinion. Said event can certainly be an athletic competition that involves much skill, but it's not a sport according to me. Haha! Let the flames of outrage commence!

Well there goes my argument to my kid that video games aren't a sport.

 

[Maister]

Bowling. Now there's a sport! Get up roll the ball. If you don't knock down all the pins you have to repeat the entire process ALL OVER AGAIN. Then you sit back down again, have a smoke and pour yourself another draft from the pitcher.

 

[luckless pedestrian]

I have my own personal definition of "sport". If it involves something measurable, i.e. points, runs, higher, faster, longer etc. then it is a sport. But if it involves a judge assigning a subjective value it's not a sport. In my opinion. Said event can certainly be an athletic competition that involves much skill, but it's not a sport according to me. Haha! Let the flames of outrage commence!

Sport as in Olympics sport?

 

[MD Planner]

Sport as in Olympics sport?

Not necessarily because there are Olympic "sports" that in my view are not truly sports. Figure skating for example. It is an athletic event to be sure, but it doesn't meet my own personal criteria to be a sport because it is judged subjectively. Same thing with diving. I'm not putting down participants of those activities, they are clearly athletes and have great skill, it's just not how I classify a sport. I know it may be splitting hairs but hey, I'm entitled to my opinion. Well, for now. That seems to be rapidly changing in this country.

 

[luckless pedestrian]

Not necessarily because there are Olympic "sports" that in my view are not truly sports. Figure skating for example. It is an athletic event to be sure, but it doesn't meet my own personal criteria to be a sport because it is judged subjectively. Same thing with diving. I'm not putting down participants of those activities, they are clearly athletes and have great skill, it's just not how I classify a sport. I know it may be splitting hairs but hey, I'm entitled to my opinion. Well, for now. That seems to be rapidly changing in this country.

I get it - it's a tough line because the Olympics, in its infancy, was more about athleticism than it was about sports as you define, so that's why I am thinking about the distinctions...

 

[DVD]

I need to see more jai alai. Why is that not a bigger sport in the US?

 

[WSU MUP Student]

Pickleball is big business down on the west coast of South Florida. I had actually never heard of it until we started going down there regularly about 10 years ago (I don't recall it being a thing when I went down there as a kid). A couple of years ago we were visiting friends who live in a gated golf and tennis community in the Estero/Bonita Springs area. The community they live in was hosting a huge pickleball tournament that week and had set up grandstands next to some of their courts. They had players coming in from all over the country and our friends said that while matches were going on, the stands were usually packed with hundreds and hundreds of spectators.

Driving from Fort Myers down to Naples along US-41 it seems like every other strip mall has some sort of pickleball sporting goods store. I imagine the stores sell tennis and squash stuff too, but they all specifically have "pickleball" in their names.

 

[Whose Yur Planner]

It was more of a fad here. The Y had it set up in one of the basketball courts. The virus hit and it seems to have gone away.

 

[Bubba]

Pickleball as a way to redevelop closed big box store sites?

Pickleball coming to former Kohl’s site on Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell

Think Top Golf for pickleball. Mayfair Acquisitions recently received approval from the Roswell City Council for an outdoor recreation and event facility to be known as Pickle Social.

www.ajc.com

In case the rather lengthy article is behind the paywall, here it is in its entirety:

Think Top Golf for pickleball. Mayfair Acquisitions recently received approval from the Roswell City Council for an outdoor recreation and event facility to be known as Pickle Social.

The permits approved for 2342 and 2350 Holcomb Bridge Road will use the former Kohl’s Department Store and Petco structures as an event facility. The plan includes repurposing some of the existing parking lot for outdoor sports fields.

The city determined the proposed plan is consistent with the 2035 Comprehensive Plan. The location is deemed appropriate since it is immediately adjacent to three roads and additional commercial businesses.

 

[Doohickie]

Other Sport: Axe throwing. Any of those popping up around you? A couple have opened locally around here.

 

[Dan]

A new pickleball court opened in the local (dying) mall, in the same space where my curling club was once considering dedicated ice. Curling here has been on hold since last March, unfortunately.

No axe throwing around here, unfortunately. We wanted to visit one in downtown Buffalo, but they only take groups. It's not like bowling, where you can get a lane for an hour or so.

I saw professional cornhole on ESPN a while back. I've also seen professional drone racing on NBC. I remember seeing air hockey on TV when I was a kid. I have yet to see a professional Kan Jam broadcast.

Can't forget kickball, which was a hipster favorite a while back.

Meanwhile, Russia laughs at weak little American pickleball.



Also ...

 

[Maister]

Other Sport: Axe throwing. Any of those popping up around you? A couple have opened locally around here.

Yeah, one opened up in the Town Next Door recently. When they called here a few years ago asking if it was feasible, I had never heard of such a thing. I thought the guy was kidding.....so you want to open a bar/axe throwing business? Yeah, what could possibly go wrong with that?

 

[SlaveToTheGrind]

We played pickleball in high school in the late 80s. Friend split his knee open while playing...it can be brutal.

 

[bureaucrat#3]

Being close to a large college town we get a few of the hipster places. We just got our first axe throwing place and barcade. We also recently had a guy open up a pinball only arcade. Its just down the street from a fencing "gym". I think some of the older people are thoroughly confused about what's happening in their once sleepy downtown (but excited it doesn't close at noon on Wednesdays). We had someone come in and want to open a rage room/anger room, which I had never heard of. Apparently you pay to come in and break stuff.
The town next door opened up a 9 hole executive putting green. They get upset if you call it putt-putt.

 

[Bubba]

We had someone come in and want to open a rage room/anger room, which I had never heard of. Apparently you pay to come in and break stuff.

One of the escape room outfits here has this as a secondary offering - the call it The Break Room.

 

[MD Planner]

One of the escape room outfits here has this as a secondary offering - the call it The Break Room.

I think for anyone who has ever worked in an office that is one of the most relatable and funny scenes ever.

"PC load letter? WTF does that mean"

 

[Whose Yur Planner]

We had an axe throwing place open up in one of the pubs. Pre virus, I was sorely tempted to let my inner Viking out and try it.

Kick ball, dodge ball and tether ball were all a part of my childhood. It was the 70's and only the strong survived.

 

[wintergirl]

We had an axe throwing place open up in one of the pubs. Pre virus, I was sorely tempted to let my inner Viking out and try it.

Kick ball, dodge ball and tether ball were all a part of my childhood. It was the 70's and only the strong survived.

I know someone who opened an axe-throwing space, it was doing fairly well until it got - oh-ho - axed by Covid-19 restrictions.

As for pickleball, I heard of it for the first (and last) time when I read about The Villages, the huge planned retiree community in Florida. Deeply weird place.

 

[Planit]

The Villages, the huge planned retiree community in Florida. Deeply weird place.

Yes it is!

 

[Whose Yur Planner]

I know someone who opened an axe-throwing space, it was doing fairly well until it got - oh-ho - axed by Covid-19 restrictions.

As for pickleball, I heard of it for the first (and last) time when I read about The Villages, the huge planned retiree community in Florida. Deeply weird place.

I like the axed pun, well done.

 

[Shellac And Vinyl VelocitY]

Axe throwing is not just for pubs anymore- it's become an actual sport.

The World Axe Throwing League (WATL**) was formed in 2017, official rules were instituted, and ESPN broadcasted the WATL World Championships in 2018 & 2019. There was a 2020 WATL Championship, but not widely broadcasted due to Covid.

**To the WATL commission: seriously consider amending your acronym before the late-night comedians get to it!

 

[wintergirl]

I like the axed pun, well done.

I heard they're going to give the Covid-19 restrictions the chop soon. They need to sharpen their thinking and get a handle on the situation first.

 

[Maister]

I heard they're going to give the Covid-19 restrictions the chop soon. They need to sharpen their thinking and get a handle on the situation first.

Stop....stop...please

 

[Whose Yur Planner]

I heard they're going to give the Covid-19 restrictions the chop soon. They need to sharpen their thinking and get a handle on the situation first.

Again well done and very witty

 

[Planit]

There's also a cornhole league with championships broadcasting on ESPN. Unbelievable.

 

[MD Planner]

There's also a cornhole league with championships broadcasting on ESPN. Unbelievable.

But you have to admit, those guys are pretty awesome. I mean seriously, it's like they never miss.

 

[Bubba]

But you have to admit, those guys are pretty awesome. I mean seriously, it's like they never miss.

Have them chug a beer between each round and it'll suddenly get more interesting.

 

[Whose Yur Planner]

I'm surprised there's not a league for jarts. That might be interesting, especially if the contestants had to stand in front of the ring.

 

[SlaveToTheGrind]

There's also a cornhole league with championships broadcasting on ESPN. Unbelievable.

See what Covid has done?