CHANNEL 5.
>> WHAT WOMEN WANT.
WHAT AUSTRALIA EXPORTS.
>> NO PADS, NO HELMETS, NO PROBLEM.
>> WHAT SUBURBANITES LONG FOR.
>> IF I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND I DO NOT HAVE A PICKLE BALL, SOMETHING IS MISSING.
>> OFFBEAT SPORTS FIND A HOME IN BOSTON.
SINGLE MEMBERS WELCOME ON S3 SPORTS TEAMS.
IF YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN, DO NOT EXPECT TO BE THAT WAY.
>> I USED TO KEEP TRACK OF SUCCESS STORIES AND I CAN’T ANYMORE.
>> GAMES PEOPLE PLAY NEXT ON CHRONICLE.
ANTHONY: GOOD EVENING.
THE RED SOX ARE HOT, THE CELTICS ARE GETTING READY FOR THE NBA DRAFT, AND THE PATRIOTS ARE GETTING ATTENTION FOR OFF THE FIELD DRAMA.
BUT PRO SPORTS ARE NOT OUR FOCUS TONIGHT.
INSTEAD, ERIKA TARANTAL DISCOVERS AN AMATEUR SPORT THAT IS IN DEMAND DAILY, ESPECIALLY IN THE SUBURBS.
>> IT SORT OF LOOKS LIKE TENNIS, SORT OF SOUNDS LIKE PING-PONG AND IS AS FUN TO SAY AS IT IS TO PLAY.
>> PICKLE BALL.
>> WHAT IS PICKLE BALL?
THE FASTEST GROWING SPORT IN THE COUNTRY, A MATCHUP OF TENNIS, BADMINTON, RACQUETBALL AND PING-PONG, IT CAN BE PLAYED INDOORS OR OUT AND HAS SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE IN THE WEST.
>> WE ARE ONE OF THE LAST STATES TO GET A POPULAR OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT.
>> NOW THE BAY STATE IS CATCHING THE FEVER.
>> [LAUGHTER] >> IT IS REALLY ADDICTIVE.
>> LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.
>> IF PICKLE BALL HAS A LOCAL JOHNNY APPLESEED, IT IS PETER SULLIVAN, A RETIRED SOCIAL WORKER.
HE HAS PLANTED PICKLE BALL PROGRAMS IN TOWNS ALL OVER EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS.
FIVE YEARS AGO, THIS NEW SPORT WITH THE ODD NAME WAS NOT SUCH AN EASY SELL.
>> ONE PERSON GAVE ME LESS THAN 30 SECONDS AND SAID, I DON’T THINK SO.
ONE YEAR LATER, HE CALLED ME UP AND SAID CAN YOU COME BACK AND SET UP A COURT.
>> LOCAL TOWNS ARE SCRAMBLING TO KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND.
>> ON THE FIRST DAY, WE HAD WAIT LISTS BETWEEN 10 AND 20 PEOPLE.
>> ZACH OF THE CONCORDE REC DEPARTMENT WAS NOT SURE WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN LOCAL RESIDENTS FLOATED THE IDEA OF STARTING A PICKLE BALL GROUP.
NOW THE PROGRAM HAS GROWN FROM A HANDFUL TO OVER 100 PLAYERS.
>> WE WILL BE ABLE TO CALMLY SIX GAMES AT ONE TIME.
>> THE GAME IS PLAYED ON A BADMINTON SIZED COURT ISN’T NEW SOLID PADDLE AND A HARD PLASTIC BALL MUCH LIKE A WIFFLEBALL.
PICKLE IS AN EASY GAME TO PICK UP BUT SPEED AND HAND SKILLS ATTRACT HIGHLY SKILLED PLAYERS TO THE GAME AS WELL.
>> OUT.
EVERYBODY OK? >> ITS DEVOTEES SKEW TOWARD THE MORE MATURE AND OF THE SPECTRUM.
>> I WAS AFFLECK ONCE IN MY LIFE.
I’M TRYING TO KEEP THAT GOING.
-- I WAS ATHLETIC ONCE IN MY LIFE.
I AM TRYING TO KEEP THAT GOING.
>> A COUPLE FROM NORTH CAROLINA STOPS IN LOOKING TO FEED THEIR FIX.
>> THAT IS TRUE.
WE TAKE OUR ROCKETS AS WE TRAVEL.
>> AFTER ALL, FOR THE HARD-CORE, LIFE CAN BE A LITTLE SOUR IS OUT REGULAR DOSE OF PICKLE.
>> IF I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND DON’T HAVE PICKLE BALL, SOMETHING IS MISSING FROM MY DAY.
>> WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES IT SO ADDICTIVE?
>> IT CAN BE AS COMPETITIVE AS YOU WANT, AS SOCIAL AS YOU WANT AND IT IS EXERCISE.
>> TIME FOR MY FIRST TASTE OF PICKLE.
THINGS MAY START OFF A BIT SHAKY BUT UNDER THE PATIENT TUTELAGE OF PETER, THE RALLIES GROW LONGER, CONFIDENCE STRONGER AND THE APPEAL OF THIS NEW SPORT BECOMES EASY TO UNDERSTAND.
SULLIVAN ALWAYS GRATIFIED WHEN THE LITTLE-KNOWN GAME HE FELL IN LOVE WITH FIVE YEARS AGO GAINS ANOTHER FAN.
>> I WAS HOPING PEOPLE WOULD LOVE IT AS MUCH AS I DO AND IT HAS.
THAT HAS HAPPENED.
>> PICKLE BALL.
ANTHONY: HOW POPULAR IS PICKLEBALL?
WELL, PETER SULLIVAN SPENT A FEW WEEKS RECENTLY AT THE VILLAGES, A 55 PLUS COMMUNITY IN FLORIDA, WHERE THERE ARE 190 PICKLEBALL COURTS.
PICKLE FEVER ISN’T AT THAT LEVEL AROUND HERE YET.
BUT TOWN REC DEPARTMENTS REPORT THAT WHEN THEY OPEN THEIR REGISTRATIONS, PHONE LINES ARE JAMMED, AND WEBSITES ARE SWAMPED WITH PICKLEBALL PLAYERS FIGHTING TO GET ON THE ROSTER.
SORT OF LIKE WHEN U2 TICKETS GO ON SALE.
THOSE WHO DECIDE TO JOIN THIS NEXT SPORTS LEAGUE GET A TWO-FER.
>> THE SPORTS AE FUN BY GOING OUT AND HANGIN