Pickleball. What is it, and why is it everywhere all of the sudden?

Pickleball is simple: ping pong + badminton + tennis, but less strenuous and more fun. It’s extremely family friendly, allowing grandparents to play with their grandchildren, the court takes up only a quarter of the space needed to play tennis, plus all of the components are lightweight and easily transportable. All you need are two to four paddles, a net and some open space, a perforated plastic ball, and a few easy rules.

How to play:
Serving: Serves must be hit underhand and diagonal to the opposite court. You hit the ball back and forth until one team misses. Only the serving team can score.

What is more quintessentially summer than a roadtrip across the country? Perhaps a visit to the beach, or scoops of ice cream on a cone. But with the upcoming school year looming just around the corner, I was in desperate need of a much grander escape. So my family packed our bags in the minivan trunk and down we went to Fort Pierce, Florida.

We spent two days sitting in the car, listening to music, petting my dog, and making pit stops at Mcdonald’s. And when that wasn’t enough to stave off the boredom, because New York to Florida is no short drive, I looked out the window and dreamed of our soon-to-be vacation. We had packed nothing but a week’s change of clothes and hopes of sunshine, so what would we be doing to fill the time? Every time I imagined us there, nothing came to mind. But I trusted that by simply going, we were on the right path to finding out.

The Kitchen: There is a no-volley zone seven feet on either side of the net, called “the kitchen.”

Flying down the palm-spotted seaside, we pulled into a circle driveway and arrived at our home for the week. Gleaming white with tall windows, the house screamed “summer getaway.” With a movie theater in the basement, game room, outdoor pool, and basketball and tennis courts in the backyard, what more could we want? We sunbathed and swam, grilled and played billiards. But very quickly, we needed an activity that wasn’t as tiring as basketball and tennis and let us enjoy the great weather. And so, our pickleball mania was born.

You can do a lot in 20 by 44 feet. What began as hitting the ball over the net with paddles became a family pickleball tournament, with all of us pairing up to claim the place of the best team. We ran and volleyed, swung too hard and shouted. Your team could be up five to zero, and then struggle to regain the upper hand as the other team catches up. Everything was fair game except for spiking in the kitchen.

To win: First team to eleven points wins, but must win by two points.

Before I go any further, I must confess something to you. If these rules feel vague and unambiguous, like I don’t really know what I’m talking about, then your feeling is right. None of us knew all of the rules. In fact, we were making up how to play along the way, because no one wanted to read the instructions and figure out how to play the “right way.” We just came as we were, and played as we wanted.

Every victory felt hard-earned, and every loss resulted in calls for a rematch. I wish I could say I won more games than I lost, but I would only be lying to myself. But, no matter how many times I won or lost, I will always remember the fun my family and I had during that endless summer in Florida.