Pickleball: Is it SAFE to Play?

As our nation works its way through this national emergency I am sure there a number of pickleball players are wondering whether there is a safe way to play pickleball. Of course the word “safe” may be a relative term.

To help JBRish readers decide for themselves whether or not it is safe, I would like to offer the following resources.

NOTE the interview below is by a licensed and well-respected medical professional.



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Can We Play Pickleball Please?
********** The quick answer is NO! **********

Below is an excerpt from the above article written by the Pickleball Rocks Team. Pickleball Rocks is a long-time business that has supported our sport for many years. I am sure the information they are providing is with your best interest in mind.

To play almost 100% safely….

1) You must wash the balls before you begin your game.
2) Every person on the court would have been through 14 days of isolation directly prior to coming out to play. This would assure they have not unknowingly picked up the virus anywhere. If they’ve been anywhere around people after completing the 14 days of isolation and prior to coming to play, they could potentially be carriers again, so invite someone else.
3) Any benches or chairs at the court would need to be sanitized.
4) The courts you are about to play on haven’t had anyone carrying the virus playing on the courts in the last 9 days (supposedly that is the maximum about a time the virus can live on a hard surface). So there is no danger of the ball picking up the virus while you are playing.

Read the complete article for more information and details by clicking HERE

 


EP 35: Pickleball and Covid-19 – What You Need to Know
********** How Safe is it to be Playing Pickleball? **********

Please understand that the opinions expressed in this interview are not my opinions. The views are those of the interviewer, Mark Renneson and Dr. Anne Matlow (Professor of Medicine, Paediatrics, Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto and retired infectious disease physician who was on Ontario’s provincial advisory committee during the SARS outbreak of 2003.)

The interview is via telephone and some of the audio is low-volume. To go to the page with the interview, CLICK HERE and click the green arrow! I recommend listening to the entire interview to get all of the information presented.

 
NOTE Mark Renneson has been a good friend to pickleballers around the world especially in the US and Canada. I have featured a number of his videos on my website and in newsletters I send to you.

In his latest newsletter Mark asks for help keeping his small business functioning. Click HERE AND SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE TO READ HIS PERSONAL MESSAGE !

Thank you for your consideration in this regard.

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More Pickleball Videos and Information

To See additional Pickleball Videos & Information Click Here (primarily for beginners and less experienced players)

Check out Additional Pickleball Information and Videos! (for all players including average to more experienced players)


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2020 – JBRish.com



Surprise Pickleball Falling Behind

NOTE: The article below and accompanying video is being presented on the JBRish blog with permission from the originator, Rocket and the Pickleball Rocks Team. You can check out their website at the link below:

Pickleball Rocks

Thanks to Pickleball Rocks and Rocket!

The Surprise City Pickleball Courts In Danger of Losing Mecca Status

February 14, 2016 by Rocket

When you build a shrine to anything, there comes a certain responsibility.

In the case of the city of Surprise, Arizona, the Surprise City Pickleball Courts, since opening 4 years ago, have become somewhat of a shrine to the sport of pickleball. But the shrine may be crumbling.

The Villages of Florida is considered THE pickleball vacation spot in the country simply because there are so many available courts.

But as we travel the U.S., when you ask people where is the mecca of pickleball, it is overwhelmingly Surprise, Arizona. Everywhere we go, people talk specifically about The City Courts.

As a matter of fact, the Surprise City Courts have become so famous nationwide that most people just refer to them as THE CITY COURTS. When players mention The City Courts, everyone knows they are referring to the 8 courts at 14534 W. Tierra Buena Lane next to Dreamcatcher Park.

There is Yankee Stadium for baseball, Pebble Beach for golf and The City Courts for Pickleball.

But sadly, The City Courts are now so overcrowded that it is starting to become a negative.

It is hard to believe that the city of Surprise isn’t falling over themselves to expand that facility in order to maintain their brilliant, pickleball-tourist attracting reputation.

These courts are packed with people waiting to play. At just about any time, you can catch some of the best pickleball players in the world, including National Champions, Gigi LeMaster, Steve Wong, Mark Friedenburg, Scott Lennan and others, mixing in with men and women brand new to the sport. It is a wonderful experience that has become famous throughout the sport of pickleball and its two million plus players.

It is (or was) truly THE place to play pickleball when you travel to Arizona.

It is interesting to watch the surrounding communities now building pickleball courts at breakneck speed in order to capitalize on the mega growth the sport of pickleball is currently experiencing.

Hope the City of Surprise realizes it before it’s too late. Sadly, based on what we’ve seen, the mecca will soon be moving.

Just our observation,

Rocket and the Pickleball Rocks Team