Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States in the last two years, according to a study by the Sport & Fitness Industry Association, and now the fever has reached Costa Rica, which will host the first national tournament.
In the United States alone, more than 4.8 million people play and in our country, the bet is to fill the Costa Rican people with fever and develop this new discipline.
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In Costa Rica, El Cafetal Sport Center and San Ramón Tennis Academy will organize this innovative event. The courts are located in San Rafael de San Ramón de Alajuela, 800 meters south of the Kaluas restaurant and will be played this Saturday, April 15 and Sunday, April 16.
The tournament will be played in the categories of doubles 3.5 or less, recommended for intermediate or beginner level players, the pairs can be male/male, female/female or male/female. It will also be played in Open doubles and Mixed Doubles.
The event will take place from 7 am to 8 pm. The organization will try to organize the games at appropriate times taking into consideration those players who must travel from far away places in the country.
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To play in any category it is necessary that they have a partner, if a player wants to participate and does not have a partner, the organization will try to find a playmate with a similar level.
In the event they will have FoodTrucks with sale of food and drinks.
For this occasion the inscriptions are closed but to participate in this sport and future events, you can contact Adrián Gamboa at 6062-2305.
about sport
Although it was created in the 1960s, the sport of pickleball is experiencing a great moment today.
This game is a combination of tennis, badminton, racquetball, and table tennis.
Courts are popping up everywhere: in local schools and parks, in five-star hotels and retirement centers.
Pickleball is especially popular with those over 50. Although the average age of pickleball players is 38, according to the SFIA report the majority of players who play eight or more times a year are significantly older, with a third of them being over the age of 65.
To play, individuals or pairs volleyed the ball back and forth over a net, on a scaled-down version of a tennis court, until one side scored 11 points (and led by at least two points). .
There are funny terms in the game like “the kitchen” (the area on either side of the net where you don’t volley) and “dinking” (soft shots on arc). Above all else, players had to have fun: it was a game that prioritized fun over anything else.
