Pickleball Lessons from My Granddaughter

Our granddaughter stopped by after school the other day. I asked her how her classes were going, and of course, she said “Fine.” I hate it when I ask questions that can be answered with a yes or no, good or bad, thumbs up or thumbs down. When will I ever learn?

I followed up by asking which class was her favorite. Good question, Nancy! I was already prepared with another follow-up question. Old teachers never die. They just experience blips on how it’s done. Kind of like riding a bike. I was expecting a ho-hum answer to my question. Something like English, period. Instead, I received a enthusiastic answer, which turned into a great conversation.

Retired Sports

The answer was “Retired Sports.” Easy follow-up: “What the heck is Retired Sports?” Are these various sports ones you tire of and want to throw away? This is where the conversation started, but granddaughter #3 took over.

I was told “Fitness for Life” is a course that teaches high school students how to play sports they can play their entire life. The kids call the class “Retired Sports,” which makes a lot of sense because they’re sports you can play when you’re 70.

They have learned to play Bocce Ball, have gone fly-fishing at Holmes Lake and played horseshoes. She said her favorite retired sport was pickleball. I’ve heard about pickleball, but I really didn’t understand, nor have I seen the game being played.

My granddaughter immediately became the teacher, giving me a great lesson on pickleball. I learned pickleball is a combination of tennis, badminton and ping pong, and is played on a badminton-sized court. Special paddles and pickleballs (i.e., wiffle balls) are used.

She took me to Peterson Park and gave me a quick lesson on how to play pickleball. Having played tennis when she was a high school sophomore, I found she was very good at pickleball. No wonder this was her favorite retired sport!

She was a great teacher and gave me many tips to remember, such as where to stand when receiving and serving the pickleball, how to serve, the different lines and the kitchen. No, the kitchen does not have a stove or a refrigerator! I found out the kitchen is an area on the court on either side of the net.

She wanted to impress me, and boy did she by giving me instructions on how to put spin on the pickleball and general ball placement. I finally had to convince her I was just fine with merely getting the goofy ball over the net and making sure it stayed in the court.

Picking Up New Skills

After her lesson, I was off and running…not literally. I should have said I was very excited. I checked the Lincoln pickleball website and found out times and locations for play. The first day I went to just watch the “retired sport” being played by retirees. I also wanted to get a feel for the level of play.

Immediately, a player approached me and told me to join her on the court. “You can’t learn without doing,” and boy was she right. She loaned me a racquet and gave me instructions. Fortunately, they complimented my granddaughter’s lesson, and then I actually began playing.

On the way home, I bought a racquet and pickleball at our local sporting goods store. I like my racquet, but have now learned there are indoor and outdoor balls. I have no clue which kind I bought.

Since my purchases, I have played twice. I still like the sport, but have come up against a few people who are really good. Our granddaughter told me the tough play would improve my skills, but I’m still not so sure. I’m a beginner and my learning curve is straight up.

I told my granddaughter about my pickleball experiences. Basically, I told her I lost at lot of games. I said I can’t get any worse, only better. My granddaughter said with a smirk smiler on her face, “Or you might just stay the same.” She then laughed and gave me a big bear hug.

I discovered taking on new skills as a retired grandma is a challenge, and I’m ready for it. I discovered my granddaughter is a very good teacher. Unfortunately, teacher education is not in her future, although I keep telling her it could be. An even bigger discovery is I still find new and exciting connections to our grandchildren. I hope it never ends!