It’s What We’re ‘Thwocking’ About: The Pickleball Craze
The pickleball craze has taken hold in Ocean City, and the welcoming, low-impact sport shows no signs of slowing down
While the sun is cresting over the ocean, before the average person can even down their morning cup of coffee, a distinct “thwock” sound followed by sneakers squeaking with intermittent words of affirmation and cheers can be heard coming from the corner of 18th Street and Haven Avenue.
The locale is Ocean City’s home to the fastest growing sport in the world: Pickleball.
The sport is played on a court that is 20-feet wide by 44-feet long with a net similar to that of tennis. Two teams of two can play at a time, taking turns volleying and hitting a hollow plastic ball with holes cut in it back and forth to 11 points in a win-by-two fashion. Unlike tennis, there is no overhand serve.
It’s underhand only, and the ball must bounce once on the serve, once on the return and from there it’s game on.
Before June, Ocean City is home to 11 outdoor pickleball courts at 18th and Haven. Once school is out for summer, there are an additional five courts for use at the Intermediate School. Meaning Ocean City could have 64 people playing the sport concurrently on any given morning.
And while that sounds like it should be plenty of accessibility, you’d be surprised. Space is still hard to come by. “The popularity is crazy. In the summer we still don’t have enough courts,” Jackie Adams, assistant supervisor of recreation for Ocean City, said. “There’s a waitlist every morning. In the offseason we talk to other towns to bounce ideas off each other and they say the same thing. The demand is so high.”
The sport itself is innately inclusive – it’s part of the fourth-grade curriculum for gym class, yet folks cashing social security checks can still play it with relative ease due to the low-impact nature of the game.
“It’s smaller than tennis,” Jackie described. “For older generations that can’t move as fast, they can still move and play.”
Ocean City Pickleball doesn’t discriminate either. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned veteran, there is space for you so long as you sign up in advance via ocnj.recdesk.com the night before. From there, all you need is to cover the membership fee (either a day rate if you’re just trying it out, or an annual fee) and a paddle and you’re good to go. There are two sessions in the morning which take 88 people per session.
Then in the afternoon it is played on a first come, first served basis.
“I was looking for something to do and I had never played pickleball before. I had a wooden paddle and no ball, I knew nothing about it,” Linda Lehn, a five-year member of Ocean City Pickleball said. “I went and tried it and haven’t stopped playing since!”
What really makes pickleball the fastest growing sport in the world, especially in Ocean City, is the sense of community between the members. In town they call it the social sport.
“You put your paddle on the rack and you are paired up with random people, it’s neat to see,” Jackie said. “They talk and get to know each other, celebrate birthdays, grandchildren being born. It’s unique to see the community growth through playing the sport.”
Linda echoed Jackie’s sentiment.
“The people playing there are so kind and so welcoming and understanding of a beginner coming to play that it is easy to fit in,” Linda explained. “It’s a very social sport. You develop friendship. Everyone supports everyone, everybody encourages everybody and welcomes new people.”
All’s fair in love and pickleball. When registering for your session you can choose between three categories of experience level – “Intermediate,” “High Intermediate” and “Truly Advanced” – which makes it easier to ensure you’re being adequately challenged and not over-matched.
If you’re a first-timer who doesn’t know the rules, you won’t be paired up with someone who’s been playing daily since before the pandemic, and vice-versa. So if you’re on the fence about checking it out, there’s nothing holding you back.
“You shouldn’t put it off,” Linda said. “Go for it, give it a try, people will be there to help you.”
So, if you’re reading this and think you’d like to give it a shot, don’t hesitate to reach out to Jackie via email at JAdams@ocnj. us or call the fine folks at the recreation office.
Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the world.
In fact, Linda believes it will be an Olympic sport sooner than later. If breakdancing can make it, why not pickleball? It’s a fun sport, with a welcoming community where you can get great exercise no matter your age or skill level.
“It’s a multi-generation sport, any age can go out and play.
Just pick up a paddle,” Jackie said.
By Anthony J. Mazziotti III