Deaf Pickleball Clubs
Where am I? At a pickleball (pb) court! I have noticed that the numbers of people playing pickleball is growing more Deaf community members are joining to play pickleball as well. The age range is diverse from very young people to older people, basically, anyone can play! So, we were curious about pickleball, so we contacted David Reynolds who is currently the president of Deaf Pickleball USA organization about why pickleball is so popular.
David: There are many reasons why pickleball is popular. The court is smaller so there is less running around. Anyone can play. The pickleball paddle is lighter and smaller. The ball is light too like a whiffle ball so people enjoy that. Competitive people and non-competitive people both can enjoy this sport. Even like athletic people and non-athletic people, it does not matter because anyone really can play. Most sports we know will have specific categories, but with pickleball, all of us can play together. It is really nice. This sport is for any age. There is less risk of injury with pickleball because like for example the ball is light and if it hits you, it does not hurt you. Another example is if you stretch before playing and play smart, you should not get hurt. This sport is also great for your health since you will need to move around and it is a great booster for your cardiovascular system. Those are some of the many wonderful things about pickleball so that is why it is popular.
Renca: Thank you, David! We also contacted a few Deaf community members who play pickleball, ranging from those who just started playing and to those who have been playing for many years. We asked them why they want to play pickleball. We also asked a few Deaf pickleball clubs to send in their “promo” videos about their locations- here they are.
Lizzie: How did I get into pickleball? Well, I thank my wife’s mom. She asked me and my wife to take her place because she was not able to play for one tournament. So my wife and I were like okay sure, why not. We arrived at this Deaf pickleball tournament in Austin. We played for the first time and we ended up being second in that tournament! After that, I was hooked and never looked back.
[clip credit: @austindeafpickleball]
Austin
Pickleball
Enjoy
Together
Fun
Come join us!
Francisco: I became interested in pickleball after college when I moved to Arizona. That was when me and Shawn Benavente set up the Arizona Deaf pickleball community together since 2021. We set this up with a goal of teaching hearing people ASL like the signs for score 1 to 10. Through this way, we can all enjoy communicating during the game. Cool right?
[clip credit @phxpickleball]
Arlene: My pickleball partner needed a partner for a Deaf tournament and asked me if I would try to partner up and play with them. I am an athletic person so I thought okay why not! I just joined and played and after that, I got into this sport!
[clip credit: @sandiegodeafpickleball]
Hello hello! Guess what! This is San Diego Deaf pickleball and here’s what it looks like!
Pickleball! It is so fun! It’s awesome!
Linda: It was 2015 in Mexico- we have a second home there. Near our second home, there was a tennis and pickleball court. We would go to that court to play tennis every morning for many years. So, it was 2015- Rob (husband) was curious about pickleball and borrowed a paddle. He learned about it and read the rules. He was interested. So, we would switch from pickleball and tennis, but ended up sticking with pickleball most of the times. When we came back home (Canada)- we immediately introduced pickleball to our Deaf friends and looked for where we could play. We discovered that there were one or two clubs near our home then we joined them!
[clip credit: @indydeafpickleball]
Our Indiana Deaf pickleball club decided we want to host a league!
Want to register but you need to know more information before registering? Want a team partner? You can pick your own!
[clip credit: @floridadeafpickleball]
Hello! I am Louis Schwartz. This is the Villages. We have over 244 courts and we have over 200 Deaf people who live here in the area. We play every day, early in the mornings and the afternoons. It’s all for free! You can play on any court! Come and visit us!
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[Sponsored video from Convo: www.convorelay.com]
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[clip credit: @dcdeafpickleball]
Damian: In 2019, I went to a Deaf street festival in Riverside downtown and I met David Reynolds who is currently the Deaf pickleball USA president. We were chatting and he did not realize that I played tennis growing up from the age 7 to 19. David told me that he played tennis too. He asked me if I would play with him sometime soon and I said sure. I played tennis with him a few times. Then on that day, he asked me if I had plans for that evening. I told him I had no plans. He told me that there was a gathering for Deaf pickleball night. I was like.. pickleball? What’s that? David told me- just show up! So, I said okay and showed up on that night with other Deaf people there. David introduced me to pickleball. He explained to me the rules and how to play. After that, I got hooked on pickleball so thanks to David!
Renca: Is that it? Nope, there are many more Deaf community members who love playing pickleball and there are more locations for different Deaf pickleball clubs. Some get together for fun and some are clubs. You can look at the Deaf Pickleball USA website and look at the different locations’ Instagram and Facebook information so you know where they are. You can even set one up on your own if there is none in your area. Well, now I realize I do not have a pickleball paddle and I never played before. Perhaps that is my New Year’s resolution for 2024 that I shall start playing pickleball?
Website: https://www.deafpickleball.com/
Instagram handles:
Austin: https://www.instagram.com/austindeafpickleball/
Arizona: https://www.instagram.com/phxpickleball/
San Diego: https://www.instagram.com/sandiegodeafpickleball/
Indiana: https://www.instagram.com/indydeafpickleball/
Florida: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076470861276