Article By: Elizabeth Rogers
 
50Plus.com, July 25, 2009
 
It's got a funny name -- and it's a fun new way to get fit. Why you'll want to give this increasingly popular sport a try.
 
No, it's not a food fight -- but it does involve "a kitchen" and will get you up and moving regardless of your age and ability. This easy-to-play sport has been enjoyed in the U.S. for decades, but it's thanks to the efforts of Canadian "snowbirds" that pickleball has migrated north. Suffering from "pickleball withdrawal" on their return from sunny southern destinations, these ingenious players found ways to continue playing here at home.
 
 The game is now the fastest-growing sport in Canada, and it even has its own official governing organization, PickleBall Canada. It's a new way to get in shape and stay active, and you don't have to be a master or professional athlete to enjoy it.
 
 
"What the heck is pickleball?"It's a question Wayne Roswell, one of the founding members of PickleBall Canada, is used to hearing. Even though the game is rapidly catching on here in Canada, many people are perplexed by the name.
 
 
So what is this new sport all about? Its other names -- ping pong-tennis or mini-tennis -- provide some clues.
 
 
"It's a combination of tennis, badminton and ping pong or table tennis," Roswell explains. "One ambassador uses the analogy of table tennis on a very big table."
 
 
 Read Elizabeth's great article on Pickleball in 50Plus.com