Where to play Pickleball on Long Island
Ariana Drauch of Queens dives toward the net in pickleball, a racket sport with elements of tennis, Ping-Pong and badminton, at Hofstra University, Hempstead. Credit: Bruce Gilbert
Don't judge the game of pickleball by its name. Yes, a ball is used, but there are absolutely no pickles involved. Urban legend says the game was named after the creator's dog, who ran away with the ball.
"Our kids all get a kick out of the name," says Jeff Aiello, 36, athletic coordinator and physical education chairman at Jonas E. Salk Middle School in Levittown, where the sport is taught.
Pickleball is a quick-paced racket sport played in singles and doubles that combines aspects of tennis, badminton and Ping-Pong. It has been played in warmer climates since about 1965, according to the USA Pickleball Association. Now Long Island is discovering it, with classes at Hofstra, Stony Brook University and Suffolk County Community College.
"It is funny how it started here," says Enid Friedman, adjunct associate professor of physical education and sports who teaches the sport at Hofstra and took part in a pickleball workshop during a conference. "It was the first presidential debate and the tennis courts were off limits because of the lockdown. So, I said, 'How about pickleball?,' which could be played inside in the tennis center. And it just took off."
THE INS AND OUTS
Pickleball is played on a court that is about half the size of a tennis court. The net is at ground-level and players hit a heavier version of a Wiffle ball using a paddle that's about twice the size of the one in Ping-Pong. Points are won by the serving team, with games going to 11, and you have to win by 2 points.
"There is a short learning curve for the game," says Jones Wong, 61, of Merrick, Nassau County ambassador for the USA Pickleball Association (usapa.org). "When you see the game, you may think it is how hard you hit the ball, but that's not the case. There is a lot of strategy involved in how the ball bounces."
MAKING THE ROUNDS
Salk Middle School is one of a number of Long Island schools that offers pickleball, which is now part of the sixth- to eighth-grade phys ed curriculum, Aiello says.
"It takes some skill and hand-eye coordination, but the kids enjoy it," says Aiello.
Rena Rosenfeld, who is the Hamptons ambassador for the pickleball association, teaches the sport at a rec center in East Hampton and helped introduce it in Montauk.
"It is great for all ages, but I think seniors gravitate toward it because it is easier on the joints and a very social game," says Rosenfeld, 66, of Sag Harbor, who first played the game in Florida.
It also gives a good cardio workout, says Friedman.
FOR ALL AGES
In addition to accommodating all athletic abilities, pickleball is accessible to all skill levels.
"Although most easily picked up by tennis players," Friedman says, "students who aren't great at sports find this an easy sport to pick up. And, if you're a little out of shape, you can still have an enjoyable game."
Alex Luca, 37, of Valley Stream, took the Hofstra course in January. "One thing about tennis as you get older, it is harder to chase the ball and then it isn't as much fun," explains Luca, a returning student who is a senior majoring in physical education. "With pickleball, you can get a rally going and that's fun. And, there's technique involved. You can learn to hit the ball a certain way to get it to turn a certain way. You have to adjust to the differences in the rules, but that's what makes it interesting."
The East Hampton Recreation Department began offering a coeducational pickleball program at Montauk Playhouse in 2012. Players ages range from 15 to 87.
"I didn't really think it would take off," says John Rooney, superintendent of recreation for the Town of East Hampton, "but we've had to offer two levels and there's always a waiting line for courts ... .We're now offering more time slots than with any of the other sports we offer."
WHERE TO LEARN AND PLAY
2 Gingerbread Lane; $5 for nonmembers, 631-329-6884, ymcali.org/East-Hampton
2550 Clubhouse Rd., Merrick; free for Town of Hempstead residents 516-868-4373
WHERE TO PLAY
240 Edgemere St., 631-668-3186, free, montaukplayhouse.org
130 E. Merrick Rd., Freeport; $5 (activity card required; Freeport residents can purchase for $5, nonresidents, $10), 516-377-2314, freeportny.gov
745 East Meadow Ave., East Meadow, 516-481-4420; free for Town of Hempstead residents
Call or check websites for additional info on prices and hours.
