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Game Of Pickleball Picks Up In Traverse City Area

Pickleball players compete at a Grand Traverse YMCA Tournament.
Pickleball players compete at a Grand Traverse YMCA Tournament.

http://ipraudio.interlochen.org/Pickleball_WEB.mp3

When IPR talked to pickleball players in the area we were told again and again, "Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America." Which seems like it would be a tough thing to measure. But it's clear, at least, that pickleball is gaining popularity in northern Michigan.

The racquet sport was invented in the Seattle area in the 1960's. It's played on a court with wooden or plastic paddles and a hollow, ventilated plastic ball known as a wiffle ball.

IPR's Laura Herberg stopped by the second annual Grand Traverse Bay YMCA Great Lakes Pickleball Tournament to find out more about this up-and-coming sport. She sent this postcard. You can click on the audio player above to listen.