By Don Kolke
 
I want to speak up for Pickleball, not as a "Tournament Sport", but as a "Get Together and Have Fun Sport".
 
Possibly those who have no interest in Tournaments think there is no room for them in Pickleball........."au contraire".......there is a place for you!! It's called "drop-in and play." My wife and I thoroughly enjoy this type of Pickleball. We can play it 5 times per week near us if we so choose, but are not obligated to show up if we decide to do something else, such as golf or tennis, or just sitting around reading.
 
Pickleball provides, for us, great exercise (I sweat......she glows), camaraderie (win or lose, those with whom we play all seem to remain friends), and, best of all, FUN.
 
We play with and against all levels of players as long as they understand that we are playing for fun.....and they are free to decide if they want to play with or against someone based on how they play.
 
There are no tournaments among us. We win some, we lose some and, if you lose, you are not eliminated from further play......you just play again when a court is available. We keep no written records of wins and losses we just play as much as we are physically able to, or until time, or partners/opponents run out for that day.
 
 
We do compete, and enjoy competing, but when the game is over, it's over.....and we can laugh and joke about the game, our performance and/or others' performances with no angry feelings, because a few minutes from the end of that game we are playing again with a different partner and different opponents.
 
This, I feel, is the REAL joy of playing this game called Pickleball. Just the fact that it was named after Pickles, the dog of one of the inventors makes one realize that it is a FUN experience without all of the seriousness, and pressure of formalized competition. I highly recommend "drop-in and play" Pickleball for all who wish to enjoy a fun and healthy exercise. It is, as far as I know, available at all Pickleball venues.
 
 
Note: This article was originally published on the Michigan Pickleball blog at http://mipickleball.usapa.org.  After reading the article, I felt I had to share it with all the recreational players out there.  I know Don has described exactly why I play pickleball and I am sure his words ring true for the majority of players that play for fun.  This is not to slight the competitive players that bring recognition to our centres and the sport in general but a statement that every one can enjoy this great game and receive the physical and social benefits of it.  Thanks Don, for being an ambassador for the recreational player.  I think Joel Pritchard would have a smile on his face if he saw yor article.