Happy Holidays sports fans. Cheers to your joyous celebrations and extra stuffed stockings. It’s the most excellent time of the year.

Okay I admit, I am one of the worst shoppers of all time. I never know what to buy and always wait until the very last minute. I’ve ex.perienced many epic failures and tend to ruin a good surprise.
But I wanted to go all out this season and decided to buy my family something unique for Christmas. I’m hoping to spend more quality time with them this spring and I believe I’ve found the perfect past time for us all to enjoy. I can’t wait to see their expressions when mom and J find three matching Pickleball racquets underneath the tree. OMG.

Pickleball is fun, easy to learn and the rules are rather simple. Or that’s what I gathered from the City of Williamsport’s Facebook page. Our fine, fine administra.tion continues to push the game. Look Doc may have “helped” bring the Kohl’s store downtown but he had nothing to do with the creation of Pickleball! Don’t believe what you read. I personally don’t think we need a seven-member panel to ex.amine its origins for the next nine months either. It was invented in the great Pacific Northwest by some Royal ugly dudes. I have confirmation. I also found no evidence supporting the fact that Pickleball will actu.ally help clean up our neighborhoods. More fake news.

This festive game has been around for a rather long time. In fact, Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports. It’s huge down south and thousands are playing out west. Some think it will even be in the next Olympic games. It’s taking the nation by storm completely. Well, everywhere except for Memorial Park.

Pickleball never discriminates and it’s very accessible. Regardless of sex, color or shape. Everyone is invited to join in the fun. Some say it’s the sport for all generations, but I have yet to find anyone under the age of 65 who plays on a regular basis. Joking kids. Several of my mates have tried it and most say it’s a blast. But none of them wanted to go on the record.

“We’ve been playing Pickleball in my PE class for a couple of weeks now,” my only Yiddish friend tweeted discreetly. “I believe all of my students enjoy the game, but I don’t see them heading to Memorial to play recreationally anytime soon. Go Terrapins!”

You don’t have to be a great athlete to excel at Pickleball. This intrigues me the most. I stopped playing full court hoops and my competitive golf window has closed. No more foolish spending as I am in desperate need of a contingency plan too. #trending. Perhaps it’s time to give her a try.

The game is somewhat comparable to ten.nis and it’s traditionally played on a smaller court. The dimensions are similar to a back.yard badminton setup, but the net is low.ered and the ball is a wiffle. Participants use special paddles made of wood or an inex.pensive aerospace alloy that can’t be found on any periodic table. That’s what the fine print on Amazon said. Free shipping.

The ball is served diagonally, and only the side that serves can win points. The first side scoring eleven points and leading by at least two points is your champion. Players on each side must let the ball bounce once before volleys are allowed. There is a sev.en-foot NO FLY VOLLEY ZONE on both sides of the net to prevent spiking. The serv.er continues to serve, alternating service courts, until he or she faults. Pickleball can be played with singles or doubles.

A fault occurs when the ball touches any part of the NO FLY VOLLEY ZONE on the serve. You can also score when your oppo.nent fails to hit it over the net or jacks it out of bounds. Points are additionally awarded when a ball is volleyed from the forbidden NO FLY VOLLEY ZONE. Sounds simple enough.

Happy New Year to all of my friends who swing by each week. See you in 2018. Cheers.