Pickle ball started in 1965 when two families tried to get a badminton game going but didn’t have enough racquets. Their improvisation with ping pong paddles and a wiffle ball has spread across the country and is a hit in Ottawa. The new courts in Ottawa’s Thornton Park opened this week.
It was cool this morning, but three of the four courts were in use at once while WCMY News was there. Player Joe Terrones explained one of the legends about how the game got its name. The story says the game’s inventor family had a dog named Pickles who kept running away with the ball while it was still in play.
Terrones says the players will probably return to indoor courts at the YMCA when it’s much colder. But they got used to playing outside when it’s cool during the pandemic. He says it was a life saver.
At Thornton Park, two courts are dedicated pickle ball courts and one of the two tennis courts has extra markings for pickle ball. Terrones says the smaller court is easier for many people to play on.
Terrones pointed out an 86-year old player outperforming the others in her game. He says pickle ball is more like ping pong than tennis. He and his wife have been playing since 2016.
A player serves the ball during a pickle ball game in Ottawa October 27, 2022