Gearing Up for Pickle Ball

Pickle Ball is for all ages and abilities... but is it for me? 

I have signed up for some pickle ball lessons to find out what all the fuss is about!

As I already know how to play tennis, but the last time I played was back in 2008 when I worked in Beijing.

A handful of colleagues got together once a week after work to rally and used the worst balls -- they were so flat that you had to hit them even harder to get over the net.

The racquets are not like tennis at all

When I shelled out for some new balls they were shocked -- shocked at how much better they played!

But now I'll be figuring out how to hit whiffle balls with a carbon fibre racquet that looks like a giant swatter.

My health club where I'll be taking lessons has a pro shop to buy sports equipment and I was stunned to see the price tag for the pickle ball racquets -- over CAD$250!

So I was determined to find something cheaper.

There's a second-hand sports shop in my neighbourhood and it was the first time in a long time since I'd been there. It has an impressive array of equipment, from skateboards and tennis racquets to golf clubs, life jackets and even workout gear that is sold on consignment.

I was pleased to find pickle ball racquets, though the cheapest ones are wooden at CAD$25. It reminded me of learning to play tennis with my wooden Slazenger racquet, but this pickle ball one looked like a giant table tennis paddle.

A pickle ball set similar to what I purchased

There were brand new pickle ball sets with two carbon fibre racquets and three or four whiffle balls for CA$120. 

The shop owner explained that no one had yet given the shop any used pickle ball racquets so they had to buy new ones instead.

So I snapped the set up.

Who knows? I might go crazy over pickle ball, or be the first person to bring back the set on consignment!