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Sports

Paddles Up! Pickleball Comes to Healdsburg

'Pickleball and Prayer' is Healdsburg's unique version of one of the U.S.'s fastest growing participation sports.

Pickleball has arrived. Thousands of people now participate in this oddly named game.

In Healdsburg, the place to play is on the new sports court at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

“I learned how to play in Arizona,” said Candy Danhausen, the woman in charge of the pickleball ministry at the church.

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“I had friends that just wanted a place to play," Danhausen continued. "So I talked to the two people in charge."

Those two people are Good Shepherd pastor Clint Lutz and parishioner Deb Jacobson.

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“They looked it up, and said 'yes,'” Danhausen stated. Pastor Lutz is now an ardent player, according to Danhausen.

Healdsburg is not the only place where the game has caught on. There is even a USA Pickleball Association, created in 2005.

“The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) was organized to promote the growth and development of pickleball, not only on a national but an international level,” states the website.

Official rules, rankings and promo are under the auspices of the organization.  The USAPA Nationals were held in Arizona earlier this month.

“Pickleball is a fun court sport played on a badminton-sized court with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center,” the site continues. “It is played with a perforated plastic ball similar to a whiffle ball and wood or composite paddles about twice the size of ping-pong paddles.”

According to the USAPA, [the game] "can be played indoors or outdoors, is easy for beginners to learn – but can develop into a fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players.”

Pickleball was created in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, and named after Pickles, a canine owned by Congressman Joel Pritchard, one of the founders. The dog was known for stealing and hiding the ball.

While the sport is sometimes considered a senior sport, it’s cropping up in high schools and other places, as well.

As part of the church ministry, “Pickleball and Prayer” is intended to get adults together for a time of their own. For Healdsburg pickleball players, that means 8:30-9:30 a.m. on Monday mornings—rain or shine. Pickleball practice is followed by a voluntary prayer and coffee time.

Pickleball will also be part of the according to a Press Democrat article that features Windsor pickleball games.

“One of the good things about pickleball is you can learn it in one session,” said Charlotte Silveira, one of the Windsor pickleball players.

In Healdsburg, meanwhile, Danhausen said pickleball suits her body's comfort level while still providing an active workout.

“I can’t play tennis and racquetball,” said Danhausen, “but I can play pickleball.

"The game is less forceful and is played on a court," she added.

Danhausen invites interested members of the community to participate in pickleball at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. For more information, contact her at candyjetta@comcast.net

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