Pickleball

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for a while at The Pickle Shed can download the Pickleheads app on their cell phones to schedule times to play with other people.

For people new to playing pickleball, it takes a few days or even weeks to learn the rules and scoring.

A doubles player is either the No. 1 or No. 2 server on their team. The person serving the ball needs to serve the ball underhand diagonally over the net to the opponent. The ball needs to bounce on the floor once before the opponent can hit it back. The ball also needs to bounce once on a player’s side before the player can hit it back over the net.

When the server earns a point, he or she switches positions with their teammate on the court. A team needs to score 11 points to win, but is required to win by a two-point margin.

Gesicki recommends people who want to learn about pickleball watch a YouTube video on the origins of the sport.

Pickleball was founded in the summer of 1965 by families with summer homes on Bainbridge Island, Wash.

Two friends wanted their children to stay busy on a gloomy day on the island, so they grabbed ping pong paddles and a plastic baseball and headed to the badminton court in one of their backyards.

They soon realized that ping pong paddles were not strong enough to use, so one of them created wooden paddles on his bandsaw.

One of their friends kept going right up to the net and hammering down the serve receive, so they created a rule where people can’t enter “the kitchen” during serves. The kitchen is an area on each side of the net where players are not allowed to access during serves.

The popularity of pickleball took off in the 1970s in physical education classes throughout the country, and the sport continues to grow today.

It’s clear while spending a session playing pickleball at Miltrim Farms in Athens that the sport is fun for all ages to play. Children playing pickleball do need to have adult supervision.

CAMARADERIE ON THE COURT - Michelle Gajewski and Jerry Gesicki of Athens play pickleball at The Pickle Shed at Miltrim Farms in Athens. Gesicki loves playing pickleball because it is easier on his body than playing tennis. He threw out his back and can no longer serve overhead in tennis but he can easily serve underhand which is required in pickleball. Gesicki also loves playing pickleball because it allows him to meet new people.

PHOTO BY CHRIS KEPNER