On a cool Thursday morning in March, the pickleball courts at Pineridge Park in Grand Junction began to fill with players. Despite the 48-degree chill, more than 50 people showed up for the day’s round-robin tournament. More than a dozen were over age 80.

Pickleball was a little-known sport until a little more than a decade ago and then courts began appearing across the country. Today, the sport attracts players of all ages and skill levels, from beginners to highly competitive athletes.

For many older adults, the appeal goes beyond exercise.

 Barb Rudy watches as Johnny Thompson, 89, sends a controlled return over the net.

 Grand Junction resident Johnny Thompson, 89, moved to the Grand Valley eight years ago from Virginia to be closer to his son and granddaughters. He has played pickleball three to four times a week for the past several years and said the sport offers both social connection and a chance to stay active.

“I was a high school teacher and track and football coach. I’ve always been active,” Thompson said. “I’ve played team sports throughout my life and I work out at home, but playing pickleball gives me a chance to get out, meet people and get a good workout.”

Through pickleball, Thompson met fellow player Bob Thomas, also 89 and also from Virginia. Though the two lived not far from each other back east, they never met until both ended up on the pickleball court in Grand Junction.

Thomas said he first heard about pickleball from his younger sister, a tennis player who thought he would enjoy it. That was four years ago. Since then, he has played several times a week.

Madonna Hayes, 85, said she discovered pickleball after moving to Grand Junction from New Jersey, when free lessons were offered at Lincoln Park Barn. She said the sport gave her and her husband, Joe, something they could enjoy together.

“Play two games and you will be hooked,” Hayes said. “And you will meet so many new people, of all ages.”

A GAME FOR ALL

Today, an estimated 36 million people in the U.S. play pickleball.

The sport was developed in 1965. The USA Pickleball Association was established in 1984, and pickleball was introduced to the Senior Games in 2008.

The origin of the name remains debated. Some say it was named after a family dog called Pickle. Others say it came from the term “pickle boat.” One commonly cited account says the game was created in 1965 by then-Congressman Joel Pritchard and his friend Bill Bell on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Using a plastic ball, wooden paddles and an old badminton court, they created a new game for their families to play.

 Tracy Baker and Jim Dawson, 76, team up for a doubles game.

 Pickleball is played on a badminton-sized court. Players use smooth-faced paddles to hit a hollow plastic ball over the net.

Once seen by many as a sport for seniors, pickleball now attracts younger players as well.

That’s part of what draws Kevin Dawson and Lorrie Martin to courts across the region, including Grand Junction, Delta, Montrose, Ridgway, Paonia and Cedaredge. The pair also travel to compete, including regular trips to the Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah, where players come from around the world.

“It’s an easy game to learn and a hard game to perfect,” said Dawson, 69. “With pickleball, you can become a satisfactory player almost immediately, but it takes years to become a good player.”

Dawson said pickleball relies less on power and more on strategy, patience and good judgment, allowing players of different ages and skill levels to compete together.

“I had played tennis for years,” said Dawson. “When I moved to the Western Slope, I walked into pickleball games and was taught how to play by some very congenial people, and within a year, I had donated all my tennis stuff and I played pickleball instead.”

Dawson said one of the game’s greatest strengths is the way it brings people together.

“You see all age groups out just having a ball together,” added Martin, 66.

REWARDS & RISKS

Carol Francil, 64, added that playing with older athletes can sometimes be nerve-wracking when competition heats up.

“Sometimes it makes me nervous when we play and [younger players] get a little too competitive,” she said. “I have to tell them to knock it off and not run so fast.”

Aside from learning the rules and practicing good court etiquette, Thomas said he has one especially important tip for players in his age group: Never run backward.

Barb Rudy, Warren Dobson, Johnny Thompson and Bob
Thomas, 89. Photos by Sarah McCaughey

As the sport has grown, so have reports of pickleball-related injuries, largely because so many more people are playing. Even so, experts note that pickleball generally carries less risk than sports like tennis. The smaller court, slower pace and underhand serve reduce the need for sprinting and overhead motions, making it easier on joints.

“I often thought golf would be my sport of retirement, but I had a back injury that ended my golfing, and pickleball actually got my mobility back for me after that injury,” said Martin.

While injuries can happen, Lance Harris said his most memorable pickleball mishap didn’t even happen during play. He joked that he hurt himself sprinting back to the court from the bathroom.

 Francil has played pickleball for four years. She said the friendships she has formed, including with Thompson and Thomas, are one of the main reasons she enjoys playing.

“I have made so many new friends through pickleball and have even reconnected with old acquaintances,” she said. 

 GET IN THE GAME

Most courts offer beginner-friendly times when newcomers can drop in, no experience required.

Most players belong to the Western Slope Pickleball Club, whose members volunteer to run the tournaments. Players draw numbers to determine when they play and, if needed, who their partners will be.

“We all share the understanding and fun of the game, and if new people don’t understand it, everybody is pretty good about helping them learn,” said Thomas.