THIRD WORLD WAR (COMMENTS-ON RACE, RETIREMENT, INTERVIEWS, ETC. )

But first–the coming war!

Lot of serious stuff coming down currently.  Seems like we’ve been worried about   WORLD WAR III since the end of  WW II!.  I remember WWII ending.  I was five years old.  We lived right next to the fire station and “Chiefy’”Martin let the siren blow all day, when the ending was announced.

Not to belittle our current conflicts,  a surprise portends.  WW III will not be men vs women,  or east vs west, black vs white, or even Israel vs Arabs.

With Americans leading the way, it may be tennis vs pickleball!

It could start with “sound rage “—A home owner awakened too early ( like lawnmower rage }.  Or an altered net not returned to proper height.

Even more frightening concern deals with gyms.  People know pickleball is better played indoors.    Soon,, somewhere with nuclear resolve, a crotchety bunch of old people will challenge for use of the gym.  Long surrendered to limitless hoopsters, shock abounds when half the gym footage is converted to pickleball and some scrawny old mfers.  Could be a little thing :  Turn that boombox down,  or “go back to New Jersey”.  

Today is  November 1,   2023.  Today our newspaper ( Raleigh’s “News and Observer”) features the growth of pickleball within our area . A 30 court site with various court games featured ( largely pickleball ) in Raleigh.

  An article on Cary, NC’s totally indoors facility is accompanied by a rendering that is impressive.

*My old home town (Wilson, NC) is building a 4 million $ facility with 12 pickleball courts, plus a tournament capable viewing stadium. 

Good news– Two of the facilities include a sizable number of new tennis courts too!

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* A HISTORY OF PICKLEBALL BLOGS by tp

I started writing this blog in 2008. Topics range from the easter bunny to Bob Dylan. “Hits” or visits to the site are recorded. The last pickleball article had a daily total that was three times more hits than any one single day. There was still the fear that pickleball will damage tennis.

NEWS FLASH: Tennis and pickleball should not fight each other. They have a mutual enemy, video games!

*FLASHBACK TEN YEARS : “USTA–Buy Pickleball !”

Good News 2—The pressure from Pickleball enthusiam will build more tennis courts the next 10 years than tennis only facilities! NOTE : School facilities were built for 6 singles matches. Boy’s !. There were no girls teams. Admnistrators, school boards, athletic directors—build a minimum battery of eight courts. Line them for pickleball too. Teach pickleball the first half of the semester, tennis the second. 

HINT,HINT–The two games are not mutually exclusive.

Bad news for USTA tennis leagues. The audience on TV ,reflected almost totally “Senior” fandom. A considerable % of your base. 

*My guess is the demand for pickleball has created more court construction than any recent variable.

• Fun is the HOOK.
  ***Don’t some Pilot programs merit a try? This is bigger than tennis or pickleball. Obesity, health, video games, mental health, and again–fun.
  Rather than fight the “tsunami” and be overrun, why not ride the wave? USTA AND PICKLEBALL leaders should join forces.
  The Outcome? In the long run what are the possibilities? 1. Both games will benefit 2. Each will have their own people.
  3. Both games will benefit the players. 4. Some people who would not have played either will have some fun. 

*  Bad news for USTA tennis leagues. The audience on TV ,reflected almost totally “Senior” fandom. A considerable % of your base. 

Good news 3 –Pickleball , handled properly, can add a new base to the USTA. For years minority kids have been a target for growth. Pickleball is so easy to learn and inexpensive, the opportunity is a DUH? Tennis courts lined for dual use (about 100$ ) At public schools, municipal recreation courts, empty condo developments and other unused courts.

Once kids have fun and realize a tennis court”ain’t a bad place” –wouldn’t tennis garner some recruits?

And let’s face it, if new people never play tennis , won’t new pickleballers be better off. Than Video addicts, other pitfalls? ADULTS TOO?

*Bad news for USTA tennis leagues. The audience on TV ,reflected almost totally “Senior” fandom. A considerable % of your base. 

Good news 3 –Pickleball , handled properly, can add a new base to the USTA. For years minority kids have been a target for growth. Pickleball is so easy to learn and inexpensive, the opportunity is a DUH? Tennis courts lined for dual use (about 100$ ) At public schools, municipal recreation courts, empty condo developments and other unused courts.

Once kids have fun and realize a tennis court”ain’t a bad place” –wouldn’t tennis garner some recruits?

And let’s face it, if new people never play tennis , won’t new pickleballers be better off. Than Video addicts, other pitfalls? ADULTS TOO?

*SOME THOUGHTS:
***Wouldn’t it be wise to use pickleball as a lead-up, or carryover game that will ultimately benefit tennis?
***Line school tennis courts for pickleball. Tennis purists will howl about the lines, but we are not talking about Wimbledon.  Almost all GYMS have multiple game lines. No one notices. Ps–while tennis nets are a tiny bit higher, who cares.
***Pickleball has a funny yet its players swear by the CARDIO benefits.
***PICKLEBALL IS FUN—IMMEDIATELY. Most youngsters aren’t sold on “Tennis is a lifetime game.” Or, it’s good for your health. Fun is the HOOK.
***Don’t some Pilot programs merit a try? This is bigger than tennis or pickleball. Obesity, health, video games, mental health, and again–fun.
Rather than fight the “tsunami” and be overrun, why not ride the wave? USTA AND PICKLEBALL leaders should join forces.
The Outcome? In the long run what are the possibilities? 1. Both games will benefit 2. Each will have their own people.
3. Both games will benefit the players. 4. Some people who would not have played either will have some fun.

* 

SEE PICKLEBALL 1 (BLOG 149)
Just returned from the North Carolina Tennis Foundation’s TENNIS WEEKEND in Pinehurst.
I was shunned twice for mentioning pickleball. Tennis people are somewhat skeptical about pickleball.
When soccer exploded upon the American scene in the 70’s the football people reacted much the same way:”Soccer is taking away some of our best kids!” Russell Rawlings said soccer was football without linemen!
I had never seen or been to THE VILLAGES in mid-Florida. On a recent trip to Bradenton we stopped in to view the
“mecca of pickleball”. I think a new approach by the tennis people may be worth studying. Having observed attempts to teach tennis in public school physical education classes, maybe a switch to pickleball might be wiser. It is so much easier to learn (save the scoring system*). And, while the pickleball people will argue that their
game can stand on its own merits, perhaps there would be a “carryover” from mastery of pickleball to the more complex and expensive tennis process. And attract some audiences that shun tennis no matter how hard we try?
The easiest part of this is adaptation of existing facilities. Courts are the same size as a badminton court (44″ x  20″), needing only boundary lines on existing high school, recreation, or whatever tennis court. While these lines (and the different sound of the ball), bother the purists, these quickly become unnoticed.
A prediction, or a suggestion: This is already happening. Real estate often features two tennis courts that are for condominium villages. Most of these were built by an owner who, to compete, added two courts. Lonely and often in the front of the housing, most dwell out front, unused and unmaintained.
Why not line these courts for pickleball. Put out some rackets and balls in a container and watch what happens.
One last thought: Many tennis courts have been “left to seed”. A two court abandoned asphalt pad can be laid out to house 6 pickleball courts.

• Unfortunately pickleball also adapted a scoring system much like badminton. And, while this idea can be applied to colleges, I would go ahead and grant
  a degree to any college student who can master the scoring.

*I heard a rumor that the USTA tried to buy the rights to pickleball.  No deal.

1. Try again.  Why?
2. Pickleball has sold itself already.
3. The USTA has never sold a leadup game that can match pickleball’s potential.
4. Pickleball can add 8 million USTA memberships over the next few years.
5. How many kids like the Williams sisters didn’t have a father who made that effort? Minority kids, as well as poor kids can gain access to this game.  And it will erase the feeling that “…that game is too rich for me (or mine).”
6. The issue bigger than pickleball, the USTA, or tennis, is the health of our youngsters. Public education should include embrace pickleball by lining school tennis courts for pickleball, and including it in the physical education curriculum.
7. My guess is the links between pickleball and tennis and not only many new players, but some very talented players,will emerge.