Lane Kenny, 18, was introduced to pickleball in an unexpected way. One beautiful summer evening he was walking to the basketball courts at Inis Grove Park when the soothing sound of balls being hit by paddles, bouncing off the courts, and cheers and laughter coming from behind the fenced area of the tennis courts caught his ear.
As Lane and his friends played basketball he couldn’t help but to watch the sport foreign to them. He had many questions and though was so close to the action, felt so far away as he knew nothing about the sport or the people playing. There was a vast range of people playing as all the courts were in use, people of all age, race, and experience levels. They all had one thing in common: they were having fun, laughing and joking with teammates and opponents, while even the more competitive matches had players enjoying themselves.
When Lane got home that night he started to research the sport, searching on google “sport on tennis court using a wiffleball” which led him to an article about the “fastest growing sport in the United States” pickleball. Now that he knew what it was, he started to watch youtube videos to learn how to play. The next day he and his friends took a trip to Walmart to pick up a pickleball bundle with two paddles and 3 balls.
This newly found community gave Lane and his friends what they were looking for with an active, fun, competitive community. A community that welcomed Lane and his friends as they are now regulars at the Inis Grove Pickleball courts.
If you’re familiar with tennis, you will see the resemblance in pickleball. As LANE lines up to return a shot his form has an uncanny resemblance to that of a tennis player.