The pickleball craze has done more than sweep the nation – it appears to be here to stay. The amazingly simple, yet intricate, game is popping up all around East Texas. It shows no sign of wearing out its welcome. 

Today, pickleball games can be scheduled from the website “Pickleheads” at a number of locations throughout the readership area. These include the Mineola Civic Center, First Baptist Church of Quitman, the First Assembly of God Church in Mineola, Holly Lake Ranch and Hideaway Lake. 

The game borrows elements of tennis, badminton and ping pong. It is played on a small court with a 34-inch net, a whiffle ball and paddles. 

As MaryCarole Strother – pickleball coordinator at the First Baptist Church in Quitman – explained, “Pickleball combines the power of tennis, the hand-eye coordination of badminton and the spin of ping pong.” 

According to Brandon Mackie, founder of “Pickleheads,” the game had its origins nearly 60 years ago, when three families vacationing together on the west coast devised a game which all members of the family could enjoy. It settled nicely into a holiday retreat atmosphere; remaining there for decades.

To say that the game made a resurgence would be incorrect, as it never made a big splash throughout the nation. It has however, today, become a part of the sporting backdrop of life in the U.S. 

“Last month we had over 400,000 hits on our website,” stated Mackie. The site is dedicated to informing people about the game and facilitating the scheduling of matches.

Little wonder that the game has attracted and maintained such a following. A couple of courts can easily be accommodated inside a small basketball court-sized area, it requires no expensive equipment, and it can be enjoyed for hours as a low-impact exercise. 

The real draw of pickleball, commented Strother, is the social aspect. She described greeting a family of new pickleball players from out of town at one of the weekly Thursday night pickleball events at FBC Quitman. They said, “Hi, we play pickleball, we think.”  

The game can be picked up so easily, that once you play, you are a veteran picklehead.

“It is such an easy way to greet people,” Strother noted. 

A recent visit to the Family Life Center at FBC Quitman on a Thursday night bore this out to be true. The ages of players ranged from middle-schoolers to 80-year-olds. No age group dominated the action, but everyone could play. 

The rules of the game (11 points win a game, serves simply put the ball in play, and a stand-off area around the net which forces a good bit of fast-thinking in shot placement) make for a well-considered, quick and exciting match.

It’s even a little addictive just to watch.

According to Mackie, the game develops a great sense of community among players. And, while the original appeal may be the low-impact characteristic, the players are growing younger.

“Our fastest growing age group is now, for the first time, below the age of 35,” Mackie noted. 

There is now also a national tournament and a television contract with CBS Sports.

Locally, the three closest facilities are the Family Life Center at FBC Quitman as well as indoor courts at the First Assembly of God Church on Hwy. 69, and the four recently-converted tennis courts at the Mineola Civic Center. 

If last Thursday’s showing was representative of local interest in the sport – it is growing. About 30 players enjoyed the evening’s competition. Strother recently moved up the start time of the pickleball evening to accommodate the growing interest.

For all those who grew up playing a variety of games in the backyard with a whiffle ball – its good to see it back.