From Skeptic to Fan: How I Came to Love Pickleball

As a dedicated tennis player, I’m still deeply entrenched in the world of old school serve and volley tennis. The sport has been more than just a pastime; it’s been a passion, and I consider it my lifetime sport that I’ll be playing until I drop dead. I took tennis lessons at the National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens during my youth and played D1 tennis in college. So, when my friends invited me to play pickleball two months ago, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at a hobby meant for AARPers. To me, it seemed like a big ping pong game (not a sport!) for those who didn’t have the skills to play tennis.

Arriving at the pickleball court, I found it hard to take a game played with a plastic ball seriously. I borrowed my friend’s paddle, and we started playing doubles. Despite my initial reluctance, I found myself actually enjoying the match. Pickleball required more movement and strategy than I initially expected. But it felt more relaxed than tennis, and I didn’t really break a sweat like I do when playing tennis. However, pickleball still somehow offered a competitive thrill. You had to know when to dink, drive and avoid the kitchen. But seriously…what sport has a kitchen?!

A week later, I gave in and bought my own paddle, started showing up at pickup pickleball games at various courts in NYC, including Riverside Park, Hudson River Park on 34th Street and 12th Avenue, and Passannante Park on Houston and 6th Avenue. Before long, I was hooked. Now, as a pickleball enthusiast, my routine is to get a real workout in by first playing tennis for an hour or two at either Central Park, 96th Street Red Clay, or the 119th Street tennis courts and then bike over to play pickup pickleball.

I encourage everyone to give pickleball a try. I don’t consider it a sport, but it keeps you moving. It’s also a great networking activity. I’ve already met a ton of nice people on the courts, including Jamie Foxx at Hudson River Park a few weeks ago. You never know who you’re going to meet, and you could find yourself falling in love with it, just as I did. But it’s still not tennis.

David Turner specializes in delivering comprehensive insurance and risk management solutions for financial institutions.?When not helping companies make better-informed insurance decisions, he can likely be found on a tennis court or enjoying the East Village of NYC where he lives with his wife and two children.