Monticello Times Monticello My Generation

www.monticellotimes.com Page 8 MyGeneration • Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019 Sport enjoying popularity in Monticello By JESSIE MEYEN Adams Publishing Group Imagine a sport that’s a hybrid between tennis and ping pong, has a competitive nature, and can be played in your later years of life. The Monticello Senior Center started pickleball about fi ve years ago and it has taken off. Pickleball is played on a court smaller than a tennis court and the net height is lowered as well. It’s played with paddles and a ball with holes in it, so that the ball fl ies straight. Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in America and more and more people are picking up the fun and fast paced game. Here in Monticello, if you are 55 years or older, you can join through the senior center and community center. The community center opens up the gym for senior pickleball players on Mondays 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. for more advanced players, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. for anyone who wants to play There’s no need to worry about bring- ing a partner either, everyone just shows up and they make teams as the games start. Pam Loidolt, the Monticello Senior Center director, said a lot of older play- ers adjust to pickleball because they can no longer play tennis. Although pickleball sessions are cur- rently just for senior citizens, the senior center is looking to open sessions for all ages. “We don’t want younger people com- ing in and making it too competitive and having seniors get hurt, but the commu- nity center may look at doing some non- senior pickleball at some point,” Loidolt said. “We told them they’re welcome to use our equipment for their classes as well.” There’s room for 12 people to play at a time because there were three pickle- ball courts painted when the league fi rst started and four players per court. When the idea was fi rst brought to Loidolt fi ve years ago, she thought it was a great idea. She had no idea what pickle ball was, but she knew people would be interested. “It just grew,” she said. “Word got out and people come from all over to play at the community center.” The sport has become so popular that the community painted pickleball court lines at the tennis courts over at the Monticello Middle School. When it’s too crowded at the community center people will play there.” The outdoor version is the same except for slightly different balls so that they don’t fl y in the wind. “If you used to be more physically ac- tive when you were younger and just cant quite do that speed anymore this is a great alternative,” Loidolt said. “But I’ll tell you what, they come out of here drip- ping sweat.” Doug Antony is 76 years old and has been playing since the lines were fi rst painted at the community center. “I think the best thing about it is the people that play here,” Antony said. “It’s a social gathering, it’s good exercise and if you like some sort of competition it’s good for that too.” He lives here in Monticello and plays with his wife, Pat Antony, and other members of the senior center. “We (my wife and I) always start out together and then we branch out and play with others, he said. “That’s the nice thing about it. You see different skills lev- els and stuff like that.” Doug said that the smaller court size is what keeps older people invested in the game. “We older people can cover the court more easily and not have to run around as much,” Antony said. Pam Loidolt reached out to Doug Antony and he’s going to start teaching pickleball classes for beginners, 55 years of age and up, in September. “It’s just for beginners, and the course is designed for people who have never picked up a paddle. They should be good sessions.” Antony will be teaching things like: how to hold the paddles, court lines, serving, returning the ball, and strategy. The classes will be held on the second and third Tuesday and Thursday of the month. For more information you can contact Pam Loidolt or just head over to the Monticello Senior Center. Jessie Meyen / Monticello Times Jessie Meyen / Monticello Times Pat Antony and Becky Unger took the court as Doug and Bryan took a break on the sidelines on Thursday, Aug 29. Doug Antony (right) and Bryan Adams (left) teamed up to play pickball on Thursday, Aug. 29 in the Monticello Community Center gymnasium.

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