Not Tickled About Pickleball

I believe your recent article on pickleball missed a few essential points. Former UO tennis coach Buzz Summers is paraphrased as saying that pickleball, “requires more strategy than tennis” and that you can win in tennis by simply “overpowering” an opponent. 

I do not understand why it was necessary to falsely denigrate tennis in order to promote pickleball. I do not see any improved tennis courts in Eugene due to pickleball. I have seen the four courts at Westmorelend rendered unplayable at the cost of $30,000.

Tennis is a sport that develops and maintains a broader range of flexibility and aerobics. It’s not uncommon for a player to run more than a mile during a single match, though in more extreme cases and in five set matches, players have run more than five. 

The footwork and body movements involved with tennis might not be for 80 year-olds like Summers, but he should not write off the sport for kids and those younger who might want to play a sport that challenges their bodies more and for which there are high school teams and college scholarships. 

I understand that pickleball is a great thing for people like Summers and seniors and others with mobility issues who can no longer handle the rigors of a full-court tennis match or the time involved in learning tennis. It’s a great sport for retirement communities to get people moving and rotating their bodies. 

James Tily

Eugene