DONIPHAN --
The name may sound a bit peculiar but one of the fastest growing sports in America is finding a following in Doniphan.
Pickleball is a hybrid game. A cross between badminton, table tennis and lawn tennis.
It is played on a hard surface about one-quarter the size of a regulation tennis court with wooden paddles and a plastic whiffle ball.
Like its cousins, the object of the game is to hit the ball so that your opponent is unable to hit it back over the net.
"It is the fastest growing sport in the nation and within the next 10 years is expected to become an olympic sport," said Greg Kenley of Doniphan.
Kenley, a retired Missouri State Highway Patrol officer, and his brother, Sam, a retired commercial airline pilot, were vacationing with their wives in Texas earlier this year when they were introduced to the game.
While there are many different competitive levels of the sport, the largest group making the sport popular are retirees from the baby boomer generation.
Pickleball courts are a common sight in many retirement communities, Kenley said. Older players are finding the game to be a fun and exciting way to begin a physical fitness program.
The Kenleys, Doniphan natives who returned home after retiring, approached newly-elected mayor Dennis Cox with the idea of building a local playing court.
Cox, like many, said he had never heard of the sport but was encouraged after doing some research. A strong selling point, he said, was the number of vacationing retirees who enjoy finding public courts to play while travelling.
Various websites contain maps showing where courts are available, encouraging stopovers at those locations. Cox hopes Doniphan will soon find its place on those maps.
The mayor took the idea to the city council and received approval to refurbish a seldom-used tennis court in the southeast corner of Riverfront Park. With the Kenleys' help, four pickleball courts were finished in July within the space occupied by the single tennis court.
The group encourages anyone interested in learning the game to come to the court from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Doubles teams are encouraged so bring a partner. Paddles and balls for use will be provided along with some friendly basic instruction.
According to the USAPA website, pickleball was invented in the mid 1960s in Washington state by former congressman Joel Pritchard and businessman Bill Bell while looking for something for their famlies to do on a Saturday afternoon.
The sport has grown to about 2.5 million players nationwide with tournaments and leagues across the nation.