David Zapatka
From pickleball’s beginning in the State of Washington in 1965, pickleball has grown to become played in all 50 United States, Guam, Aruba, Australia, Belgium, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Great Britain, Crete, Guatemala, Korea, Mexico, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Spain and Thailand. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) 2016 Pickleball Participant Report reported pickleball currently has 2.5 million players in the United States alone. There are now 4,747 places to play pickleball in the U.S. with 16,549 courts.
There are pickleball vacations to exotic places where you can receive training from professional players, play with other pickleball fanatics and tour the wonders of the world. Simply Google pickleball vacations to find the many opportunities if you love travel. And if you’re traveling in the U.S. or one of the many foreign countries listed above, go to USAPA.org to find courts and contacts who can put you in touch with other pickleball players from around the world. If you’re reading this and are thinking that you cannot afford to travel the world, but you would still love to play pickleball, you’re in luck. Pretty much all you’ll need is a pickleball paddle or more if you want to compete against friends and family and a space to play the game. Once you’ve got these essentials, you’re half way there. You can think about travelling the world once you become a pickleball professional.
Have a question about pickleball? Want to know more about the sport, the rules, equipment or have some picklilicious news you would like to share with our pickleball community? Email David Zapatka at [email protected], Robson resident.