Rick Warsinskey is an official pickleball ambassador for Northeast Ohio, steward of an online guide with links to some 250 places to play indoors and out and a connector who often fields calls from out-of-towners visiting Cleveland who want to squeeze in a match.
“My goal is to help anyone who wants to learn about it so they can expand their interest in pickleball,” says Warsinskey, 72, who picked up pickleball five years ago. He now maintains an email list of 1,800 people who scroll his newsletters for highlights such as announcing special events like designated pickleball nights at Cavaliers and Guardians games (paddle swag included) to local pickleball fundraisers.
Most of all, he is tickled to talk pickle.
“Anyone can play,” says Warsinskey of Lakewood, adding that he knows plenty of 90-year-olds who take to the court. “It’s a very friendly, social sport and you don’t have to feel like you’re not athletic enough.”
Staying active and exercising mental dexterity are just a couple of reasons older adults (and anyone) take to the sport. It’s an unintimidating mashup of tennis, ping pong and racquetball with a right-sized court and a gentle learning curve.
This explains the sport’s surge. The Sports and Fitness Industry Association reported a 158.6% increase in new participants during the last three years. The 18 to 24 and 65-plus age groups are tied for the second-most participation, with 35 as the average age.
The sport’s can-do nature is a win in community senior centers.
“Any size, shape and age can play this game,” says Kate Toohig, director of wellness and engagement at the Mandel Jewish Community Center. “It’s a sport that is accessible, doesn’t require a lot of equipment, you’re covering a manageable space and it promotes healthy aging.”
Game on, everyone
You can have two left feet, a weak backhand and the stamina of a sloth. Or you can reinvigorate your inner athlete like Gene Weiss, 63.
“I was always intrigued, but thought, ‘It doesn’t look like much,’ and I know the perception is it’s an old person’s sport,” says Weiss, who picked up the sport at Mandel Jewish Community Center.
Boy, was he wrong.
“I played sports my entire life, and this is a workout — I play for two hours and I’m beat,” says Weiss, adding that his knees allow him to rally hard three days a week and sometimes he’ll steal a fourth game.
Weiss admits he “plays up.” He joined a Western Reserve Racquet Club and competes. The Shaker Heights resident took home first place in a 3.5 division during the JCC’s third annual Paddle Battle this March with his partner Theresa Crystal. Much like tennis, pickleball prowess is rated based on skill from 1.0 “just starting” to 5.5+ “top caliber” levels.
Mike DiCarro, who retired from Nestle six years ago, started a part-time job at the Solon Recreation Center for “something to do” and fell into pickleball after he was asked to monitor some courts. “It becomes part of your life, and you don’t even realize it,” he says, relating that Solon Senior Center attracts up to 80 people daily to its indoor and outdoor courts. A senior league meets on Wednesday evenings and has grown from eight teams to an expected 16 for summer.
But with open, rotational play for three levels Monday through Thursday, “you put your paddle in and play whoever,” and, DiCarro adds, “it gets you out of the house.”
You might not take great strides across the pint-sized court. “But you will get your steps in,” DiCarro says, adding that he lost 40 pounds since playing and averages up to 15,000 steps per day. “Those steps just pile up, and the game is great for your reflexes.”
Mimi Hargate, 77, picked up the sport during retirement. She’s the volunteer facilitator at Cleveland Heights Recreation Center, which opens its indoor and outdoor courts to anyone. She went from asking, “What’s that?” to playing almost daily.
“I organize groups, and we have volunteers who drill with players and show them how to play the game,” she says of a come-one-come-all vibe.
Some come prepared to rally. Others come ready to learn.
“The speed can become intense when you’re in a ‘firefight,’” Weiss says of a rapid, hard-hitting exchange. Don’t assume because a person looks like an armchair athlete that these rallies are low-key, says Weiss, relaying instances when an unassuming opponent surprised him with “bizarre quickness.”
Toohig emphasizes: Anyone can get involved. “It’s a safe sport as long as you play at the level you should be playing,” she says.
Warsinskey says, “There are people in wheelchairs who play, and I know someone who had a stroke and they can all, in some way or another, play the game.”
Some adults who step into the mix surprise themselves.
DiCarro told a particularly soft-
spoken woman who took up the sport with trepidation: “You came in like a lamb and you are a lion now!”
‘I have 100-plus new friends’
The social aspects of pickleball are just as beneficial as the movement it requires. “Playing in a group and being part of something develops relationships — and they can have some competition and camaraderie at the same time,” Toohig points out.
Mental health and movement go hand in hand.
Nearly 70% of adults reported reduced stress and anxiety after playing pickleball, and 64% called the sport “uplifting,” according to a report by Carewell, which surveyed 1,000 Americans about the impact of pickleball on their psyche.
“I have 100-plus new friends,” Weiss says, relating that meeting people later in life isn’t all that easy. “There is a big social component, and it’s a very accepting group.”
You don’t need a partner. Round-
robin style play is open to anyone who shows up. Put your racket in the mix, wait for your name to be called, rotate in and out, and meet lots of new people. If you don’t click, each match is only about 15 minutes.
“We’ve had seniors bring their children and grandchildren here to play — and they’re all laughing and having a great time,” says Jen Herman, activity coordinator at Solon Senior Center, remarking on the multi-generational benefits of mingling with all ages.
Plus, there’s plenty of fun and games.
“I got a text from one of our players and she was like, ‘We are at the courts and Jason and Travis Kelce showed up to play pickleball!’” Hargate says. “I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh! I can’t believe I wasn’t there!’ Turns out, their bobbleheads were there but not the real Jason and Travis. She brought them to the game.” They had a good laugh.
A sharp side of the sport is how it keeps the mind moving, too. “You’re learning a new sport, so it’s a new skill — it’s not that difficult — and there’s satisfaction in that,” Hargate says.
Pickleball does require some strategy. “Depending on the level, you have to figure out where you are going to hit the next ball and what technique to use,” Toohig relates.
“You have to use your brain power, and it keeps you young,” she adds.
“You have to watch every move,” Warsinskey says, “but because it’s so active, when you get into the game, you can forget about things and just enjoy.”
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