Pickleball at Jenks: 3 Things to Know
Abby Murphy, a Junior at Jenks High School participating in the Jenks Dusk till Dawn Pickleball Tournament.
By: Isabella Quintero
Pickleball has become a national phenomenon recently, and a favorite sport for so many people in the Jenks community. Nevertheless, there are many misconceptions about the sport, so here are some of the basics.
It's definitely NOT Tennis
As much as people associate the two sports together, they are actually more different than the average person might think.
Tennis is a very well known sport globally, and many people are aware of famous tournaments like the US Open and Wimbledon. The general rules are pretty straightforward and easy to understand. You play either one vs one (singles) or two vs two (doubles), the tennis ball is served from outside of the line of the end of the court and aimed towards the diagonal box from the serving position. The ball is rallied back and forth with the goal for the opponent to miss it, getting you a point.
Pickleball isn’t too different. Singles and doubles are played and you still hit a ball back and forth, but the courts are significantly smaller, the paddles are very different than the tennis rackets, and the balls used are also very distinct.
The balls used in Pickleball are hard plastic with holes surrounding them, causing it to move slower and have less bounce. On the other hand, Tennis balls are springy and hollow, allowing more bounce and speed.
Pickleball paddles are smaller, have shorter handles with a flat hard surface while tennis rackets are larger, with a longer handle, an outer frame with cross-wrung strings filling the center.
It's become extremely popular in recent years
Pickleball has been a sport for quite some time now but there’s been a surge in popularity surrounding it in recent years. This can be due to a lot of things, but one of the main factors is the accessibility of the sport.
Rhodes Mackenzie, a junior at Jenks high School, has played pickleball regularly with his brother for years now, and believes that not only is the sport easier for him than tennis, but it’s also easier to get into, as it's more accessible to the general public than tennis.
Rhodes Mackenzie and his brother playing pickleball at the Jenks Tennis team's Pickleball tournament.
“Pickleball is not as expensive as tennis is, and it's much more accessible to anyone as it doesn’t require extensive training to play,” said Mackenzie. “Anyone can pick it up regardless of age.”
This accessibility can be seen by people from all communities becoming fans of playing pickleball, whether it's competitively, or just for fun every once in a while.
The Jenks community has noticed this rise in love for the sport, and taken advantage by setting in motion their plan for a new pickleball complex along the Arkansas River, close to the new Tulsa Premium Outlets. Set to be ready around 2025, according to Tulsa World, this entertainment complex including indoor and outdoor pickleball courts and a sushi restaurant is heavily inspired by the attention this sport has gained from all ages.
This is a general idea of what the complex would look like when finished.
Photo credits: Tulsa World
Jenks High School has incorporated pickleball into their tennis team
The Jenks High School tennis team recognizes the popularity that pickleball has gained, and even incorporates a pickleball tournament into their annual Dusk till Dawn fundraiser. At this event, tennis players compete against each other, as well as host a pickleball tournament where anyone can enter either an advanced, intermediate, or beginner bracket to play against other teams at the same level.
This tournament is a fun activity that brings the Jenks community, the tennis community, and the pickleball community together, while also bringing out people's competitive sides.
The results of this tournament really highlight the differences of pickleball and tennis, specifically by showcasing how even though many of the Jenks varsity tennis players were in the advanced bracket, they were all still defeated by a non-professional father and son duo.
Beck Schissel, a junior and a Jenks Varsity Tennis player, claims that at least in his experience, Pickleball is more difficult than Tennis.
“I find tennis to be easier because the court is bigger for tennis, so in pickleball you have to be faster because the ball is coming to you faster,” said Schissel.
Schissel makes the argument that with a smaller court, a harder ball, and a smaller, flat paddle, there’s less time to react to the ball, therefore making the sport more difficult.
However, this argument may just be a tennis player's side of it, because while he thinks tennis is easier than pickleball, he also has more practice with it than the average person.
Many beginners lean towards pickleball, claiming that it's easier but then again, it may just be more accessible to learn and practice than tennis is.
There's no definite answer of which of the two sports is easier, as many people have different experiences and opinions over the matter.
Despite their constant training in tennis, these varsity tennis players still failed to come out on top in the advanced bracket, proving that pickleball, as similar to tennis as it may seem, is actually quite different.
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