REGARDLESS OF WHERE I GO, I KNOW THAT I WILL HAVE A GOOD
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. >>
TIME. >> YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF IT
AND WONDER WHAT IS PICKLEBALL?
IT IS ONE OF THE FASTEST
GROWING SPORTS IN THE COUNTRY.
THIS WEEKEND, HUNDREDS OF
COMPETITORS ARE IN THE AREA
FOR THE FIRST-EVER SEATTLE
METRO CLASSIC PICKLEBALL
TOURNAMENT.
TOURNAMENT. JOINING US NOW IS FRANK TO
PONY.
PONY.
PONY. >>
PONY. >> HE WILL TELL US MORE ABOUT
THIS UNIQUE SPORT.
I HAVE HEARD OF IT.
I HAVE SEEN IT BUT I DON'T
KNOW HOW IT WORKS.
>> I BROUGHT YOU A PADDLE.
>> IT IS LIGHTER THAN IT
LOOKS.
LOOKS.
LOOKS. >>
LOOKS. >> PICKLEBALL IS A MASHUP
BETWEEN TENNIS, BADMINTON, AND
PING-PONG.
PING-PONG. INK OF YOUR SELF AS STANDING
ON A GIANT PING-PONG TABLE AND
PLAYING.
PLAYING.
PLAYING. PICKLEBALL WAS INVENTED RIGHT
HERE IN THE SEATTLE AREA IN
BAINBRIDGE BY THREE DADS WHO
ARE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING FOR
THEIR KIDS TO DO.
IT HAS EXPLODED IN RECENT
YEARS WITH OVER 3 MILLION
PLAYING NOW ALL OVER THE
WORLD.
WORLD.
WORLD. I
WORLD. I WAS JUST IN AMSTERDAM AND I
FOUND A PICKLEBALL GAME.
>> WHAT DOES THE BALL LOOK
LIKE?
LIKE?
LIKE? >>
LIKE? >> IT IS A WIFFLEBALL.
IT IS HARD AND PLASTIC.
YOU PLAY ON A REALLY SMALL
COURT.
COURT.
COURT. YOU CAN FIT FOUR PICKLEBALL
QUARTZ ON ONE TENNIS COURT.
>> HOW BIG IS THE COURT?
>> IT IS 44 BY 20 FEET WIDE.
THAT IS WHAT MAKES IT SO
SOCIABLE.
SOCIABLE.
SOCIABLE. YOU ARE SO CLOSE TO YOUR
OPPONENTS.
OPPONENTS. I GUARANTEE YOU IF YOU GO OUT
ON THE PICKLEBALL CORD, YOU
WILL BE LAUGHING AND PLAYING.
IT IS EASY TO LEARN AND HARD
TO MASTER.
TO MASTER. WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT IS
SOME OF THE PROS THAT WE HAVE.
THEY ARE REALLY GOOD.
THE SPORT IS GROWING REALLY
FAST AND WE ARE ATTRACTING
MORE AND MORE GREAT PLAYERS TO
THE SPORT EVERY YEAR.
>> I AM TERRIBLE AT TENNIS.
I WAS, HOWEVER, QUITE THE PRO
IN BADMINTON.
IN BADMINTON. IS THIS SOMETHING I COULD PICK
UP?
UP?
UP? >>
UP? >> BADMINTON TRANSLATES REALLY
WELL TO PICKLEBALL.
WE GET TENNIS PLAYERS,
BADMINTON PLAYERS, PING-PONG
PLAYERS.
PLAYERS.
PLAYERS. I PLAYED RACQUETBALL.
WE ALL COME TO THE SPORT WHEN
WE GET A LITTLE BIT OLDER OR
CAN'T MOVE AS FAST OR CAN
COMPETE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
IN THE SPORT THAT WE PLAY.
>> LOOK AT ME.
I AM SO GOOD AT THIS ALREADY.
I AM JUST KIDDING.
WHAT ARE THE RULES?
CAN THE BALL NOT HIT THE
GROUND?
GROUND?
GROUND? >> THE BALL CAN HIT AROUND.
THERE ARE SOME QUIRKY RULES
FOR SURE.
FOR SURE.
FOR SURE. YOU CAN'T HIT IT OUT OF THE
AIR.
AIR.
AIR. YOU
AIR. YOU CAN'T VOLLEY IT WITHIN
SEVEN FEET OF THE NET.
IT IS CALL THE KITCHEN OR THE
NO VOLLEY ZONE.
IF YOU STEP INTO IT AND VOLLEY
THE BALL, THAT IS A FAULT.
THE STRATEGY IS TO GET CLOSE
TO THE NET AND DINK AND DUNK.
>> JUST BOUNCE IT TO ME.
JUST TO DINK THE BALL.
>> I AM NOT GOOD AT THE DINGING
.
.
. >>
. >> THAT
. >> THAT IS THE STRATEGY OF
MOVING YOUR OPPONENTS ALL
AROUND.
AROUND.
AROUND. YOU ARE ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD.
>> THEN IT GETS FAST AND IT
STARTS SLAMMING IT.
YOU START LAUGHING AND IT IS
SUCH A SOCIAL THING.
THE COMMUNITY IS WHAT IT IS
ALL ABOUT.
ALL ABOUT. I HAVE BEEN IN THIS SPORT FOR
TWO YEARS AND I HAVE MADE SO
MANY NEW FRIENDS.
THE TOURNAMENT IS THE FIRST OF
ITS KIND IN THIS REGION.
WE NEED MORE PICKLEBALL QUARTZ
IN THE SEATTLE AREA.
THEY ARE BUILDING 80 QUARTS A
MONTH ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
WE NEED COURTS IN THE SEATTLE
METRO AREA TO ACCOMMODATE ALL
OF THE PLAYERS THAT ARE COMING
IN.
IN.
IN. >>
IN. >> IF
IN. >> IF I WANT TO LEARN TO PLAY,
WHERE DO I GO?
>> YOU CAN VISIT OUR WEBSITE.
WE HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. YOU CAN SIGN UP AND BECOME A
MEMBER TO SUPPORT OUR CAUSE OF
MORE PLAY AND MORE COURTS.
YOU CAN SEE EVERY COURT AND
EVERY PLACE AROUND THE CITY.
WE ARE OUT AT GREEN LAKE EVERY
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY ON THE
TENNIS COURTS.
TENNIS COURTS. COME ON BY.
WE ARE A WELCOMING COMMUNITY.
WE WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO PLAY.
WE HAVE EXTRA PADDLES.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE WILL CHECK IN WITH YOU
AGAIN TO SEE