With summer in full bloom, now is a great time to enjoy some outdoor activities. One increasingly popular option is pickleball, in which players use paddles to volley a wiffle-style ball over a nearly tennis-size net on a badminton-size court. Eden Prairie resident Dennis “The Menace” Gallaher, the 71-year-old president of the Southwest Metro Pickleball Club (pictured below left), talked with thrive. about how to get involved and why the sport is ideal for older adults.
thrive.: How did you get into pickleball?
Dennis Gallaher: I was a tennis player, which is not a requirement by any means, and I saw my neighbor playing it. He told me to try it, so about four years ago I checked it out and fell in love with it. It’s a very addictive sport. Once you start playing it’s just so much fun, you don’t want to put the paddle down.
thrive.: What do you think makes it appealing to the older demographic?
DG: It’s different from tennis in that it does not require the hard lateral running distances to get a ball, which causes a lot of stress on the hips and knees. It’s fairly easy to reach every ball and it becomes more of a quick-action type sport, more like ping-pong than tennis. Also, pickleball is a gathering sport, where anywhere from 10 to 40 people will gather at a place and you rotate in and out. It’s amazingly social and it’s very easy to play. All you need are comfortable clothes and shoes and a pickleball paddle (which range in price from about $6 to over $80).
thrive.: How can individuals get involved?
DG: There are courts throughout the state, from Eden Prairie to Ely. Check with your city or visit places2play.org/state/minnesota.