Dave touched many in the Kenora community and we were lucky to have him as a member of the KPC. Here are a couple of his writings.
To Dink or Not to Dink? I was standing flat-footed with my Head in my hand watching helplessly as the opposition’s dink landed perfectly in our kitchen. No chance to return it. To make matters worse, my own dink kept popping up too high and getting smashed. Before long, my partner and I were pickled. Lest that be misconstrued, the Head in my hand was my Head Extreme Elite, extreme hyperbole, pickleball racquet. In the unique language of pickleball, a dink is a very soft shot just over the net with the ideal dink landing close enough to the net to be very difficult, if not impossible, to hit back over the net. The kitchen is the section of the court closest to the net. You can’t set foot in the kitchen unless someone has just dropped their dink in there. The ability put your dink in your opponents’ kitchen is a valuable pickle ball skill. Hitting the ball back too high will give the opposition the opportunity to smash it at high speed back into your side of the court. Losing a game without scoring a point (11-0) is known as being pickled. Casual games are played mostly without umpires, referees or line judges. All necessary calls are on the honour system although game wardens might be useful to stop poaching. Poaching, again in the unique language of pickleball, Is taking shots that your partner was in a better position to make. With characteristic Canadian politeness, inadvertent poaching is accompanied by lamentations of “Sorry, Eh?” Pickleball was invented in the mid 1960’s when a bored family vacationing on an island had a badminton court but couldn’t find any other badminton equipment. They managed to find table tennis racquets and a hard, hollow plastic ball with holes in it. Soon the whole family, kids and all, were happily batting the ball over a lowered badminton net and inventing rules for a brand new game. The family dog, Pickles, joined in and added an extra challenge to the game by repeatedly running off with the ball. The game was named after the dog and pickleball was born. At least that’s one theory about the game’s strange name. The game spread to friends and neighbours and then around the country. Before long, clubs were formed, tournaments organized, and organizations born. Pickleball first became popular in the United States but has since spread worldwide. Canadian snowbirds encountered the game, played it, became addicted and brought it home to the Great White North. Equipment evolved from the original ping pong paddles to larger paddles band-sawed out of plywood and finally to modern, lightweight, high-tech, composite paddles. The ball has been standardized but is still a hollow plastic wiffle ball. Played on a slightly modified badminton court, pickleball looks and sounds like a cross between tennis and ping pong on steroids, with the players standing on the table. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in North America for good reason. The game is simple and its rules make it suitable for all ages and skill levels. It’s easy for beginners to learn and enjoy but develops into a quick, fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players. Physical strength is not a significant factor so women and men are equally capable of becoming good players. People love the sport because of its friendly atmosphere and fitness benefits. The smaller court size makes it relatively easy on the body compared to tennis. Pickleball can be played year-round and requires only a pair of court shoes, a racquet and gym-style clothing to be fully equipped. Athletic ability is a bonus but almost everyone can participate and benefit from the exercise and friendly competition. In Kenora, locals, summer residents and tourists alike flock to the Kenora Pickleball Club’s outdoor facility at Garrow Park on Rabbit Lake. A cooperative effort involving many members did all the groundwork to convert underused tennis courts into a state-of-the art outdoor pickleball facility in that beautiful setting. The beautiful 8-court facility is well-used from the time it gets warm enough in the spring until it’s too cool in the fall. In the colder seasons, pickleball moves indoors to schools and community clubs. Play continues without the snowbirds and summer residents, most of whom continue to play near their winter digs. Year-round residents move indoors and continue their play here. In Kenora, that means setting up temporary nets in school gymnasiums during evenings and weekends. Pickleball is also played at the PUFF firehall in Laclu and the community club in Minaki. The game is making its way into school physical education programs and you can probably expect to see pickleball at the Olympics in the near future. I can’t say enough good things about the Kenora Pickleball Club. They welcome drop-ins at any of their open play sessions. Just show up and you will soon be out on the court regardless of your experience. The club also has sessions for lessons and skill development as well as advanced play, They host ladder play in which players are ranked and compete with others of similar ability. The club’s open and competitive play sessions use an ingenious player rotation system which gets everyone involved, playing with different partners, meeting new people and having great chats when its your turn to sit out. To get more information about the club you can explore their Facebook page. You don’t have to be good in other sports to enjoy this game. Almost anybody can play at their level and have a great time. The whole idea is to get a little exercise and have fun regardless of age or athletic ability. Just show up where pickleball is being played and you will be welcomed and will soon be part of the action.
Pickler’s Paradox The great pickleball rally started with blistering spin serve answered with a long slow return just inside the baseline followed devastating third shot drop resulting in a fantastic get/dink followed by a cross-court dink which was dinked back over the net. Then dink, dink, dink. Finally, someone someone pops it up too high. Smash! Returned. Smash! Returned again. Lightning reflexes and amazing finesse on full display by all 4 players The rally goes on and on. Finally, a beautiful lob just inside the back corner is lobbed back too short. Head high at the kitchen line, half the opponents’ court uncovered. It’s a gift. Smash!…. Straight into the net! We’ve all been there in some variation. A great rally is ended by a colossal flub. Sometimes the easiest shots are the hardest. To me, hat’s the Pickleball paradox.
A few years ago when I first found out that Pickleball was being played in Kenora, my reaction was, “Pickleball! The game must really suck to deserve a name like that.” Eventually, curiosity got the best of me. Not wanting to show up unprepared, I went downtown and bought myself the cheapest wooden racquet available and showed up ready to play. When I stepped onto the court one of the club organizers ripped the racquet out of my hands, saying something to the tune of, “You can’t play with that” and replaced it with a more modern snazzy ball-whacker reputed to be able to go out and play all by itself if only the rules would allow it.
Properly shamed, I headed for my favourite source of mediocre stuff and purchased a Head Extreme Elite… a hyperbolic title for the cheapest paddle that I figured wouldn’t get ripped out of my hands. Maybe if I fell off my wallet and shelled out the big bucks for the latest in miracle titanium-coated graphite, spidy-silk, proprietary miracle-goo embedded paddle with flex system technology, I might make the occasional better shot. On the other hand, I have never been able to blame my paddle for a missed shot, although a good excuse would have been warmly welcomed on far too many disastrous flubs. Disaster takes on a whole new meaning in pickleball. The worse the screw-up, the louder the laughter!
I can’t say enough good things about the Kenora Pickleball Club. They welcome drop-ins at any of their open play sessions. Just show up and you will soon be out on the court regardless of your experience. The club has sessions for lessons and skill development as well as advanced play, They also host ladder play in which players are ranked and compete with others of similar ability. The club’s open and competitive play sessions use an ingenious player rotation system which gets everyone involved, playing with different partners, meeting new people and having great chats when its your turn to sit out. Thanks to the people who work hard to make it all happen.
