Free Republic

A pro player explains how the gravity-defying Hungarian sport took off in CanadaNiche sports like breaking and skateboarding are finally getting their Olympic due in Paris this summer, but another lesser-known game is quickly gaining traction back here in Canada. Teqball, invented in Hungary in 2014, is best described as a combination of soccer and table tennis played on a curved table. Thanks to its Matrix-like moves and highlight-reel-worthy rallies, the game has more than earned its reputation as one of the most difficult sports to pick up. That hasn’t stopped it from growing fast: later this year, a series...

It is fair to say Oklahoma pickleball referee Ron Ponder has changed his opinion of Rodney 'Rocket' Grubbs quite dramatically in recent years. When the pair first met at a tournament in Italy in 2018, Grubbs was a 'really nice guy' and 'very outgoing'. Now, Ponder describes his erstwhile friend as an 'a**hole' and a 'psychopath'. He is not the only one. Grubbs, of Brookville, Indiana, allegedly ensnared hundreds of people and many of his close friends in an $47.5million fraud in which he lured investors into pumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into his pickleball business. The man once...

Move over, tennis! There is a new recreational sport in town — pickleball. In 2023, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) deemed it the fastest-growing sport in America for the third consecutive year. They estimate that about 36.5 million people have played the game at least once in the year.Pickleball is a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping pong. It was invented in 1965 in Bainbridge Island, Washington, by three friends. The first game was played on a badminton court with a pair of ping-pong paddles. It followed the same rules as those of court tennis. However, after playing...

Pickleball, America’s fastest-growing sport, is taking a toll on players’ wrists, legs and shoulders. And it’s especially popular with injury-prone seniors, which is driving up the cost burden. Pickleball injuries may cost Americans $377 million in health care costs this year, accounting for 5% to 10% of total unexpected medical costs, UBS analysts estimated in a report Monday. “While we generally think of exercise as positively impacting health outcomes, the ‘can-do’ attitude of today’s seniors can pose greater risk in other areas such as sports injuries, leading to a greater number of orthopedic procedures,” the analysts said. Pickleball-related injuries occur...

<p>DENVER (KDVR) — A man has been arrested on a felony charge of criminal mischief for causing $10,000 in damage to a court at a Denver recreation center.</p><p>Arslan Guney, 71, was arrested on March 17 for making 45 marks with a permanent marker on the basketball court at the Central Park Rec Center to identify the boundaries on a court used for pickleball.</p>

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 18 (UPI) — A viral trend involving placing cucumbers behind cats has been deemed cruel and harmful behavior by some experts.