I have had many people ask me, “is pickleball an Olympic sport?” Not yet, my friends.
However, with the popularity of pickleball on the rise, many avid players and fans believe the sport will one day make it to the Olympics. While there is no official word from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Pickleball does seem to have what it takes to be an Olympic sport.
There were pickleball balls everywhere.
Different colors.
A random number of holes punched through each ball.
Some had circles and some had squares and some had triangles.
If you’re wondering what the heck is happening here, it was my very first pickleball nightmare.
I showed up to play with a group at my local tennis center. But there were more people than courts. I stood around awkwardly, debating if I should just leave.
I had my first “low intermediate” pickleball open play session. Is it ridiculous that I was a wee bit nervous before I arrived? With one lesson and one beginner open play behind me, it felt a bit early to be stepping up, but it seems like tennis players can make a relatively easy transition.
My biggest fear surrounded scoring. Will I know what to do? Will I disrupt the game’s flow for people who are really into it? Can I hang with this next level of play?