DARLINGTON — The nation’s fastest growing recreational sport has a funny name and is a descendant of tennis and ping pong. It’s called pickleball, and a local group of Lafayette County players have gravitated to it with fervor, though not just to be competitive, but also for the camaraderie.

“We play for exercise, friendship and fun. The popularity seems to be growing, especially in our group,” said Melva Hillery, one of the longest tenured local players in Darlington. Hillery and Mary Kurth, another long-time local player, help host five sessions of the sport per week at the Darlington Wellness Center.

The group, which has players come from across the county, meets Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8-10 a.m., as well as Wednesday nights from 6-7 p.m. The number of participants is always in flux. Sometimes other plans get in the way, though.

“It’s my reason to get up and out of bed those four mornings. We’re like a big family,” Hillery said. “We started out very small. Spencer Benedict, he’s the one that kind of got everything together. Then I met up with Mary, and she asked me to play, and I’ve been playing ever since.”

When they first started playing, they played just once a week. Now, with about 20 people on the “roster”, they play four days a week.

“Not everybody comes each day. We could have a dozen, we could have four. It just depends,” Hillery said. There is not a specific league with team standings, instead the group runs more of a sandlot-style pick-up game format: Whoever shows up, plays.

“It doesn’t cost us anything. We have the paddles, and we have the balls. Everything is there for us,” said Kurth. 

Many players also have their own equipment, but there are spares to go around. 

“We’re there for the friendship, the exercise, and the fun,” Hillery said. “And those of us with stiff bodies, it helps limber us up.”

Even during the height of COVID-19, the group found a way to get out and play.

“During COVID, Amy and Wade at the Wellness Center let us take the equipment up by the swimming pool and we played by the tennis court. So we still got to do that while everything else was shut down,” Hillery said.

The game can be played outdoors or indoors, though the wind of the outdoors can make it difficult to knock around the wiffle ball.

Like tennis, the game is played by hitting a ball with paddles over a net. In this case, a specialized wiffle ball with smaller paddles, similar to racquetball or oversized ping pong paddles. Compared to tennis, a pickleball court is much smaller, which can help aid the game’s youngest and oldest players alike. With less ground to cover, there’s less of a chance to trip and fall or overextend oneself, thus getting injured. Hillery said that the mantra of the Darlington group is to only compete with oneself, and not necessarily worry about overall winning and losing.

“We tell people to don’t jeopardize their body to go after a ball. We had somebody fall and break their hip,” Hillery said. Another player broke a wrist on their first day.

Another way to avoid injuries is based on preferred footwear. Some players like a slippery sole to glide across the floor, while others like a stronger grip for quicker pivots.

The game also has a variety of different rules. Serves are underhand. Players not only have to allow the wiffle ball to bounce on the serve, but also on the serve return. There are two zones — volley and non-volley zone, also known as the kitchen — and only the serving team can score. Games are played to 11, so long as one wins by two points.

Melva said beginners that get discouraged should give it more than one or two tries.

“It’s amazing with the beginners to see how quickly they get better. They grow so much. They improve every single week,” Kurth said.

Everyone plays against each other — there are no tiered competitive groups. This helps not only with camaraderie and to ensure there is always a playing partner, but it helps the newer players gain practice and improve.

A game can be played 1-on-1, though a 2-on-2 competition is preferred. There could even be a 3-on-3 if so desired.

The club in Darlington isn’t the only place players can get a fix either. “There’s a lot of communities that have pickleball groups,” Kurth said.

Platteville has a large pickleball scene, and in Monroe, the Green County Family YMCA and Parks and Recreation Department both offer options to play year-round.

In Monroe, the Parks department has a league of 18 participants for its nightly sessions, and 30 for its morning sessions. Brian Saugstad of Monroe told the Monroe Times in an interview that, like Hillery and Kurth, he loves to play the game for more than just because it’s sporting competition.

“I really enjoy playing pickleball because of the camaraderie. I have met many people not only in Monroe but in places where I have traveled. Pickleballers seem to be very welcoming to others who want to play,” said Saugstad. “Pickleball keeps me active in the community and has a special place in my heart.”

Saugstad said he enjoys playing with his grandchildren, who also have grown to enjoy the sport. Hillery’s granddaughter from the Milwaukee area learned it in school, and Kurth was optimistic about the sport continue to grow among the youth in Lafayette County.

“Maybe it’s something that gets offered in the future in the city rec program, like little league,” Kurth said.