PICKLEBALL TAKING OVER NAVASOTA

The sport of pickleball is taking over Navasota with several avid players helping to grow the sport and newcomers learning the popular game.

Navasota Pickleball Association made history with the inaugural Navasota “Doubles Day” Pickleball Tournament at Navasota High School June 24. The tournament attracted players from as far away as New Braunfels.

The Association began when approximately 15 people attended a pickleball clinic Aug. 7, 2022 at First Baptist Church in Navasota. Two USA Pickleball Association Ambassadors taught the basics of pickleball including the mles, various strokes, rules, scoring and more. Since then, the group yearned to learn more and began playing Sunday afternoons taping down three indoor courts at the FBC Navasota Gym. In the spring of 2023, the group expanded to playing twice a week, Thursdays and Sundays.

With the expansion of the association and rapid growing interest in the sport, numerous facilities have been converted to accommodate play. Navasota ISD Board of Trustees approved adding lines for pickleball courts at the auxiliary gym at Brule Elementary as well as to the tennis courts at Navasota High School. The eight lighted tennis courts allow for 16 pickleball courts. The outdoor basketball court at Stacey Street Park was also painted to include four pickleball courts.

Pickleball is described as a fun, social and friendly game. It combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. According to USA Pickleball, the sport was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island on a short ferry ride from Seattle, Washington. Three dads - Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum, whose kids were bored with their usual summertime activities are credited for creating game. Pickleball has evolved from original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout the US and Canada. The game is growing internationally as well, with many European and Asian countries adding courts.

The rules are simple, and the game is easy for beginners to learn, but can develop into a fast-paced, competitive game. Players use a paddle and a plastic ball with holes similar to a whiffle ball. Players can play singles or doubles on a 20x44 foot court. The net height is 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle. The court is striped similar to a tennis court with right and left service courts and a 7-foot non-volley zone in front of the net referred to as the “kitchen.”

A complete list of rules, helpful hints, tournaments and more can be found at https:// usapickleball.org/.

Navasota Pickleball Association is hosting the Navasota Outdoor Open Pickleball Tournament July 21-22 with several divisions. Men’s and women’s singles begin at 4 p.m. July 21, and men’s and women’s doubles begin at 6:30 p.m. Mixed doubles action begins 8 a.m. July 22.

For more information about Navasota Pickleball Association visit their website, www. navasotapickleball.org or find them on Facebook at Navasota Pickleball.