Athletes ranging in age from preteens to 60-somethings were on the courts at Treadwell Park getting a fun-filled taste of an unfamiliar yet intriguing game, on September 1: They were learning and playing a scaled down variation of tennis known as pickleball.

“I like it. It’s exactly what I expected it to be,” said John Duval, who paired with another adult, Brie Blodgett, and played an abbreviated contest against Jennifer Arnold and their much younger pickleball newcomer, 12-year-old Jackson Harrington. “It’s a blown-up version of ping pong, or a scaled-down version of tennis, or badminton — or a combination of all three,” added Duval.

Indeed, the game of pickleball combines elements of each of those games, and you can throw in Wiffle ball, too, for that matter.

“It’s fun. It’s new for me,” said Harrington, adding that playing tennis helps for learning the game.

Parks and Recreation Director Amy Mangold, Assistant Director of Recreation RoseAnn Reggiano, and pickleball enthusiast Jan Brown were among those who enlightened curious prospective pickleballers during an hourlong introduction to the game.

Brown briefly went over the basic rules, then a dozen or so attendees divided into teams of two and engaged in heated battles. Okay, so these were more like friendly, backyard games. Players laughed at themselves as they adjusted to learning a new sport, and perhaps got the bug to play again… and again.

“It’s a multigenerational sport. Seniors love it, and young kids are having a blast with it,” Mangold said.

“Pickleball is a game that anybody can play,” Brown added.

Treadwell recently underwent renovations and in addition to new tennis courts being put in, a pickleball-only court is in place, and two of the tennis courts have been retrofitted for pickleball (lines were painted within the tennis court space to allow for either game to be played depending on which athletes show up on a given day).

Pickleball requires use of a paddle that resembles a ping pong paddle a bit more than a tennis racquet (it’s bigger than a ping pong paddle but smaller than a tennis racquet). The ball used is a like a Wiffle ball; a hollow plastic ball with holes. The playing area is the size of a doubles badminton court, according to the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) website, usapa.org. The court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet long, and a doubles tennis court, by comparison, is 36 feet wide and 78 feet long.

Brown notes that the net is a bit lower than a tennis court net. For those who play pickleball on the retrofitted courts, they’ll simply have to play a variation of the game with a higher net.

Demonstrating the underhand serve, Brown explained that the ball must be put into play in this way — just as badminton players do — and without a bounce. However, the bounce of the pickleball quickly comes into play, Brown notes. The ball must hit the court once both before being played by the team receiving the serve, and also must bounce before the team that initially served the ball can hit a return back the other way. After each team has played a ball on a bounce, volleys may be played in the air, Brown explained. Games are typically played to 11 points, with a team having to win by two, Brown said.

Just as is the case in tennis, a server must hit the ball to into a box on the opposite side, across the court. There’s a marked-off box directly on either side of the net, referred to as the nonvolley zone, and also called “the kitchen.”

The kitchen? Nobody seemed to know where the name came from, but players must stay out of the kitchen until the ball bounces.

A brief history of the game is detailed on the USAPA website as follows: “Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, WA. Three dads — Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum — whose kids were bored with their usual summertime activities are credited for creating game. Pickleball has evolved from original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout the US and Canada. The game is growing internationally as well, with many European and Asian countries adding courts.”

USAPA was organized to perpetuate the growth and advancement of pickleball on a national level, according to its website, and the first rulebook was published in March 1984. By 1990, pickleball was being played in all 50 states.

“Currently, the sport of pickleball is exploding in popularity. The number of places to play has nearly doubled since 2010,” according to the USAPA website. “There are now well over 2,000 locations on the USAPA’s Places to Play map. The spread of the sport is attributed to its popularity within community centers, PE classes, YMCA facilities and retirement communities. The sport continues to grow worldwide as well with many new international clubs forming and national governing bodies now established in Canada and India.”

Newtown Recreation officials and pickleball enthusiasts, such as Brown, are hopeful that the game will continue to grow here. The courts are open, so go get a paddle and ball. Just remember: Stay out of the kitchen.