Like chocolate chip cookies and post-it notes, pickleball’s invention was a happy accident. One summer day in 1965, three dads were tasked with entertaining their desperately bored kids. Finding a nearby badminton court but no badminton rackets, they
scrounged up some ping-pong paddles and a plastic ball. Thus, an enduring sport was born.
Pickleball can be described as a mix of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, but it has some quirky rules all to itself. Pickleball players serve underhand, with the paddle below the waist at the point of contact. And every self-respecting pickleball player knows you better stay out of the kitchen, aka the “no-volley zone,” where hitting the ball is off-limits.
While pickleball players are drawn in by the game, they stay for the community, and you’ll find plenty of that in Charlottesville. The Central Virginia Pickleball Club estimates that around 300 locals are picking up the paddle, with more people joining all the time. An aspiring pickleball player has plenty of options. You can play in tennis courts throughout Charlottesville, or use the dedicated pickleball courts at Key Recreation Center, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Greencroft Club, or Boar’s Head Resort. For those who want expertise, there are classes hosted by ACAC, CVPC, or local pickleball coach Jason Grigg.