INNISFAIL - Pickleball has come to Innsifail.
The town recently introduced the new sport as part of its drop-in fall programming.
"We play it once a week," said Kane Williams, recreation program coordinator with the Town of Innisfail. "It's our newest sport."
The drop-in program is held in the Innisfail Middle School gymnasium every Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Pickleball is a sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis and can be enjoyed by people of all ages, noted Williams.
"It's a game that can be played indoors or outdoors. It's a fun sport that provides a good level of athleticism and exercise,” he said, noting there's a small $2 fee to participate.
While there are similarities between pickleball and tennis or badminton, there are also some differences.
“It uses a very solid paddle instead of a strung (or wired) racket. It's a mix of a few different racket or paddle sports,” explained Williams. “You have the net height of tennis and it's played with a ball, and it's played on a badminton-type surface because it can be played indoors and with badminton lines.
“It's also a little bit like table tennis because you're playing with a solid paddle,” he added.
Participants can play pickleball in singles or doubles, noted Williams, adding the game is finished when a team or individual reaches 11 points.
There has been much interest in the new sport around town, said Williams, which is one of the reasons, he added, why Innisfail added it to its drop-in fall programming.
“The enthusiasm that people had for it. Not only was pickleball something that was requested by people in the community, it was also something that we got great feedback from during our fall registration night,” said Williams. “It was awesome to see that people of all ages were excited to give it a try.”
Kane Williams
"It's a fun sport that provides a good level of athleticism and exercise."
