Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1476674
A t this point, there are two types of people in the world: The ones who have a puzzled look questioning what the heck "pickleball" is when someone mentions it, and the ones who are telling everyone to come out and try pickleball. It's the fastest growing sport in the United States, according to data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association and many media reports. In Macon particularly, pickleball has risen in popularity exponentially in the last three years. Paul Midkiff first stepped foot on a pickleball court when he was invited to play at Joe McDaniel's house on a Saturday afternoon in 2018. McDaniel is considered the godfather of Macon Pickleball. After teaching hundreds in the area how to play, he has recently been inducted into the Macon Sports Hall of Fame for the work he's done as a pickleball ambassador in the state. After just a few hours of playing at McDaniel's home, Midkiff left and immediately drove to Dick's Sporting Goods to purchase his own paddle set. He was hooked. And that's the story for millions of pickleballers all over the country. Pickleball was invented in 1965 by a group of dads in Washington state as a fun crossover between ping pong, badminton and tennis. The game is played with a paddle and a plastic wiffle ball. And the name? It is sometimes said to have come from the old family dog, Pickles. Midkiff loved pickleball immediately, and he began sparking that love for pickleball in anyone else in Macon that he could talk to about it. "I mean, selfishly, I wanted to play and get more people out to play with," Midkiff said, "I needed to find a way to communicate with all of the other pickleballers in our area, so that's when I took over the Macon Pickleball Facebook page and started working on plans for a newsletter." And with that, Macon Pickleball began to take shape. Midkiff knew that the Macon Tennis Association had previously created a successful model, so he started working to create a similar group for pickleball. "I ALWAYS SAY THAT PICKLEBALL IS MY FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH." – RUDY MENDES 74 maconmagazine.com | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022