Every senior has memories of physically oriented games from youth: kick the can, fox and geese, red rover, hide and seek. We usually had our own sets of rules, subject to change according to how many participants were involved and where we played. And we spent many hours in sandlot games for which we set our own boundaries ("Joe's front hedge is out of bounds!") and constructed our own equipment (a cork, a sock, and some tape made a great ball, and, "No, Ma, our bat is not the handle of your kitchen mop.").

When we grew up, organized sports took over our lives. Once we had uniforms, regular practices, coaches, and rules cut in stone, the competition became serious. That wasn't necessarily bad, but, darn, some of the fun got lost. Winning was now the main goal, not health or fun or camaraderie.

As we aged, we took our once hormone-fueled minds to more adult fields and found that our rusty body parts couldn't get oiled enough. Less strenuous pastimes involving much less perspiration held sway.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could recapture the enthusiastic grunts, sweat, and physical joy of those early sandlot memories? We can, and the answer is pickleball!

A few years ago, local community centers imported this game from down south as a way for seniors to get exercise. They outlined a 40 x 20 court, put up a tennis net, handed out wooden paddles and a Wiffle ball, and let us loose with rules suited for tennis.

A local paper recently ran an article showing silver-sneaker types playing this paddle/ball/net game. When I read the article, it sounded like a bunch of fairly active retired people enjoying keeping a plastic object in play. It sounded soft and easy, a relaxing way to spend time with friends. You know: grandparents doing hand-eye coordination activities, isn't that nice.

So curiosity sent this ex-jock to the Matt Ross Community Center to check out my peers playing pickleball. When I entered the gym, I saw what I expected: about 20 60- to 80-year-olds who resembled normal seniors. I didn't notice any super-fit, exercise-is-my-life types; for the most part, they were everyone's expectation of someone's grandparents. I'll bet they mostly use this time for morning conversation, I thought.

Well, give me a ruler across the knuckles for a bad case of misjudgment.

Now, I spent my first 55 years playing and coaching multiple sports. I was a jock, a coach, someone who recognizes and judges athletic performance—so imagine my shock when, after watching two courts of seniors playing doubles, I had to move my jaw back up to where it belonged. There was no softness to these games. Serves were hard, forehands had a lot of pace, overheads were potent, and returns were crisp, sharp, and decisive. Grandma and Grandpa had game!

It wasn't just one or two players who excelled; it was all of them. Soon I found myself applauding remarkable volleys, brilliant saves that belonged to someone 30 or 40 years younger, and amazing blocks and shots. I just could not believe that these people were capable of the athleticism I was witnessing. And this was not an all-star tournament of the best pickleball players in the Midwest. These were the center's regulars. They were all playing a solid, competitive, physical game with plenty of smiling, laughing, and camaraderie. It was like a bunch of neighborhood kids having a blast.

By the way, these weren't just people who had inherited good bones and joints. I watched a couple of guys in their 70s make one outstanding play after another, and their knee scars showed they'd had knee replacements.

Kudos to all you pickleball players for reminding seniors everywhere that the fat lady has not begun to sing.

Pickleball locations

• Matt Ross Community Center, 8101 Marty St., Overland Park, 913-895-6350
  
• Tomahawk Ridge Community Center, 11902 Lowell Ave., Overland Park; 913-642-6410
  
• The Johnson County Park & Recreation District will offer pickleball in Gardner at the New Century Fieldhouse when the facility opens in May.
  
• There's an outdoor court at Young's Park, West 77th Street and Antioch Road in Overland Park.
  
• Also check the Johnson County Park and Recreation District's Activities catalog and various community center schedules.
  

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