I'm sitting here recovering from two knee surgeries and all I want to do is be able to play the sport that everyone in Illinois is talking about.

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Let's Play Pickle Ball

I still remember the first time someone asked me to come to play pickleball with them, it was at least a couple of years before the Covid pandemic. They said I would love it because it was so fun to play. They said it was easy and I'd pick it up quickly. I don't remember the exact reason I never took him up on that offer, but I never did. He sure was on to something, and much earlier than most of us.

What is Pickleball?

The Fastest Growing Sport in Illinois Doesn't Actually Involve Pickles
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It's fair to assume that I wasn't the first one to wonder what the 'pickle' part of this game was all about.

  • Is it played with an actual pickle or an object shaped like a pickle?
  • Is the game similar to when a baseball player gets caught in between running from one base to another?

The only thing I was ever told about pickleball was that the game is a bit of a mix of tennis and ping pong.

Pickleball is a fast-paced paddle game played on a small court. And that guy who invited me was pretty accurate with his description of the game, it combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong. You use a solid paddle to hit a perforated plastic ball over a net.

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RELATED: 10 Most Annoying Pests You’ll Encounter in Illinois This Summer

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It seems like every week there are new places to play pickleball around the Rockford area. By the end of 2023, a huge pickleball arena and entertainment complex in Algonquin called, Pickle Haüs, will be open.

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The Most Bizarre Items Ever Stolen From Illinois Residents

My mom once told me that "people will steal anything that's not nailed down." Times certainly have changed since then. The thieves now have nail removers.

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