“We’ve had a lot of interest in pickleball from not only the community, but specifically the membership at Fitness World,” said Ryne Turke, sports director at Fitness World.

Anybody interested in pickleball can learn how to play the game at Monday’s clinic. It also will serve as a refresher course for people who already know how to play. Two courts will be available, along with paddles and balls.

Turke said 8-10 people currently play at Fitness World a couple of days a week from 5:30-7:30 a.m. Turke said players at Fitness World range in age from 30 to 60. “People really like to play before work, which is great,” he said.

Bob Freesen YMCA in Jacksonville has pick-up pickleball games on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9-11 a.m. Six-week clinics there begin June 14-16.

Pickleball is made up of various parts of other racket sports. It has paddles like ping pong, a net like tennis, and a court the size of a badminton court. The ball is much like a Wiffle ball. 

The game was created by three guys who were trying to get together a game of badminton but couldn’t find a shuttlecock. They did, however, have a Wiffle ball. To make that work, they lowered the net and made paddles from plywood, and a sport was born.

Pickleball got its name from Joan Pritchard, whose husband was a co-creator. She said the patchwork nature of the game’s components reminded her of competitive rowing’s “pickle boats,” which are made up of a combination of rowers from different teams.

Point being, the game has nothing to do with pickles.

Pickleball gets you moving, but because the court is smaller, you don’t take the pounding that you would in tennis. “You’re really going to be active, but it’s something everybody can pick up and play after a day,” Turke said. “The rules are extremely simple. If you know tennis, if you know ping pong, it’s kind of along those same lines. But you can work up a really good sweat playing it real quick.”

It’s not necessarily a slow-paced sport. Your Uncle Fred plays ping pong, but so does Forrest Gump. “We’ve got a group of about eight guys who are about as competitive as you can be,” Turke said. “They’re in their mid- to late 30s. They come out and just tear up the court. They’re having a great time getting a great workout in.

“We have a couple of other ladies who have come in, and they are a little more casual with their play, but use it as an alternative day. Instead of working out at the gym for cardio and weights, they like to have a fun day where they come in and play pickleball a couple of days a week.”

Turke said senior members at Fitness World have started to pick up on the game. Some snowbirds returning from Florida reported that they’d played a lot of pickleball there. That prompted Fitness World’s initial interest in the sport.

Since it’s on a smaller court, players are closer to one another, so there’s more chances for socializing than there are on a tennis court. It’s a good game for old or young. “We know it’s a great workout,” Turke said, “and a really fun, social, community game that people can get involved with.”

Fitness World has two indoor pickleball courts and could add a third if there’s enough interest. Starting in May, Fitness World will schedule evening matches two days a week. 

“A lot of people just don’t know how to play the game,” Turke said, “so I figured I might as well teach them, and hopefully we can kind of grow our community into a pickleball community.”

Those who plan to attend Monday’s free clinic are asked to register online at https://fitnessworldhc.com to help organizers plan for how much equipment they’ll need.

“I’m just excited to bring it to Jacksonville,” Turke said, “and it’s another sport I think that can really grow in this community.”