Published: June 06, 2008 12:14 am      

CITY OF LOCKPORT: Couple wants to start Pickleball craze in WNY

A Lockport couple came home from Arizona with a case of Pickleball withdrawal and a hope to get the senior activity going here.

Don’t laugh. No. Do laugh. Pickleball is a retirement community craze and very addictive, according to Ray and Frances Kidney.

“It’s a whole big fun thing. It makes you feel good,” Frances said. “Once we got pickled, that was it. It’s even fun to watch. You won’t believe it until you’ve done it.”

The Kidneys, who lived in Green Valley for three months, brought their tennis rackets to the retirement community 20 miles south of Tucson. They soon switched to an oversized ping pong racket and moved to the Pickleball courts.

Pickleball is a mini-tennis game played on a badminton-sized court using wood paddles and a hollow plastic baseball with holes. It was created by a congressman from the state of Washington and his friends since 1965.

“It’s very addictive,” said Ray, who is retired from Harrison Radiator. “As soon as you play it once, you like it. Everybody likes it.”

The average age of Green Valley is 72, but children visited their grandparents during Easter vacation and soon commandeered the courts for a week after being introduced to the game. Players in their 80s are very good at it.

“It’s similar to tennis. You do not have to cover the distance, but your reflexes have to be quicker,” said Ray, 70.

“It is totally addicting,” Frances said. “Once you get a paddle in your hand, it’s hard to put it down.”

The Kidneys want to know if there could be a place for Pickleball in the city. Four Pickleball courts can be converted out of one tennis court. The game has been played in backyards, on driveways, dead-end streets and prisons.

The game now has rules and is played in school physical education programs and senior citizen centers. The Kidneys, who would like to get Dale Association support, hope to reach out to snowbirds in the area.

The couple played every day in Arizona, usually in mixed partners.

“The women are right there with the men,” Ray said. “It’s primarily a senior citizen game. You can have a fantastic game without the running. We never played tennis again.”

“The social aspect is wonderful,” Fran said. “I would love to see people get involved. Older people like to do physical things besides playing cards.”

A racket costs about $40. The balls are not expensive, but the Kidneys might have to order a dozen to get going.

Contact reporter Bill Wolcott  439-9222, ext. 6246.