An exciting event in Atascadero Saturday. Atascadero pickleball club president Barbara Sims cut the ribbon Saturday to open four new pickleball courts at Colony Park.
The ribbon cutting Saturday morning attracted about 60 people. They sold Atascadero pickleball t-shirts, gave away healthy food, and even had a ceremony complete with a hired trumpet.
If you’re not familiar with the game, it was invented back in the 60’s by a Washington state congressman, John Pritchard. The family was bored so he invented a game played on a smaller version of a tennis court. The ball is a plastic ball with holes in it, like a whiffle ball. The players use paddles similar to ping pong paddles. Many pickleball enthusiasts are senior citizens. Which inspired a gift from Tenet Health.
It’s a defibrillator, which restarts the heart after a player suffers a heart attack. Fortunately, it was not needed during the excitement during the ribbon cutting. The courts are now open for pickleball at Colony Park in Atascadero, and they’re brand new.