Itching to get outside and try a new sport this summer? Try pickleball, the popular game quickly taking over tennis courts in Fort St. John.
The name sounds silly, but if you think about it, it’s the perfect name for a game that involves a jar of gherkins, and, well, a ball.
Pickleball is often called the fastest growing sport in North America, and one can see why. For years, eating was portrayed as the opposite of being athletic – not any more.
Trying to catch a ball in a jar of pickles, all while eating as many of those pickles as you can, is no easy task. It takes stamina, cardio, focus, and a special breathing technique.
“Growing up, we’ve all taken breaks during a game of soccer or baseball to have a couple pickles that our mothers packed us for lunch,” says FSJ player Bick Brine, who joined the local league last year. “Now, this has become the sport itself.”
The Peace Country Pickleball Club is leading the charge in Fort St. John, quick to play at any court – whether it’s in Taylor, Fort St. John, or the curling rink.
Though the sport is thought of as a game for seniors, only about a third of the club’s 60 members are over the age of 55, and there are 10 kids who regularly play at the courts as well.
April Fools! Email reporter Dillon Giancola at sports@ahnfsj.ca.