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Pickleball has officially landed in New York, with the first designated public court opening at Rockaway Beach as part of the city's continued efforts to re-build the area after hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Officials unveiled the pickleball destination, which also features a spectator seating area, earlier this week alongside a new adventure course that has been installed between Beach 102nd and Beach 101st Streets along Shore Front Parkway in the Rockaways.
The update is designed to be a complete circuit, perfect for a full body workout, boasting both active and passive spaces to offer "a diverse environment for people of all ages 13 and above," reads an official press release about the news.
"It is exciting to see the improvements we continue to bring to the Rockaway community after Hurricane Sandy devastated much of the area nearly 10 years ago," said state senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. in an official statement. "However, out of that devastation we were able to build the Rockaways back better than they were before, and this project proves it. This new adventure course will bring fun and excitement to residents of all ages, and we were even able to incorporate the new national craze of pickleball into this project by unveiling the first designated public pickleball court in Rockaway."
Speaking of said craze, for those of you unfamiliar with the sport: pickleball players use paddle-like rackets to hit a perforated polymer ball over a net. Think of it as a mini tennis game that also reminds of ping pong.
According to Tennis.com, the sport was actually invented as a children's backyard game in Washington back in 1965. Fun fact: pickleball was adopted as the official state sport of Washington this year!
Who knows? The Rockaways might be home to the next best pickleball player in the nation.