Welcome to the first issue of the Pickle Madness weekly newsletter!

A pickleball paddle fanatic’s review of the Diadem Warrior Edge! Will pickleball ever be an Olympic sport? And much more!

I find it fascinating to see how each paddle differs from another. It’s like figuring out a mystery: Is it a control paddle? Power? Hybrid? Does it produce a good spin? You get the idea.

The first paddle I bought brand new, after having played a few months using loaners and used paddles, was the Warrior Edge, made by Diadem. An old friend was passing through town and like any pickleball fanatics we decided to get together and play pickleball rather than do something boring like lunch.

My friend had just purchased a new Warrior Edge. She let me play a few games with it and it felt great in my hands. Like most fairly new players, I wanted more spin and control. The Warrior Edge delivered that! I couldn’t believe the spin I got off this paddle…

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What will it take to see pickleball in the Olympics?

Pickleball is a relatively new sport (considering tennis is hundreds of years old), but it has exploded in popularity in recent years. It is now well known as the fastest-growing sport in the United States. There are now many millions of pickleball players in the US, and the number is expected to grow.

But, what would it take for pickleball to become an Olympic sport? Here are a few things that need to happen:

• Pickleball needs to be recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This is the first step in any sport becoming an Olympic sport. The IOC has a set of criteria that sports must meet in order to be recognized, including having a governing body, a worldwide following, and a defined set of rules.

• Pickleball needs to be played in a significant number of countries. The IOC wants to see sports that are played in a variety of countries around the world. According to Britannica, a sport should be played in at least 70 countries by men, 40 countries by women, and on three different continents. This is meant to ensure that each sport at the Olympics is a truly global event.

• Pickleball needs to be a popular spectator sport. The IOC wants to see sports that people want to watch. This means that pickleball needs to be exciting and easy to understand for spectators. Major League Pickleball and the PPA Tour have been hard at work to grow the viewership of pickleball.

If pickleball can meet these criteria and a future Olympic committee deems it worthy, then it has a good chance of becoming an Olympic sport. The IOC is always looking for new sports to add to the Olympics, and pickleball is a strong candidate. It is also possible that a less popular sport gets dropped in favor of pickleball.

Here are some additional things that could help pickleball become an Olympic sport:

• Pickleball needs to be promoted by the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP). The IFP is the governing body for pickleball. They need to do a good job of promoting the sport around the world and getting it in front of the IOC.

• Pickleball needs to continue to be supported by major sponsors. Major sponsors can help to fund the sport and make it more visible to the public. Celebrities that take up the sport as a hobby or buy in to professional teams also help cast a spotlight on pickleball.

If pickleball can do all of these things, then it has a good chance of becoming an Olympic sport in the future, though it is impossible to guess how soon this Olympic dream may be realized.

Rule Review of the Week

Need one of pickleball’s confusing rules cleared up? Let us know and we’ll include it in next week’s issue.

Rule 2.B.3. Non-Volley Zone (NVZ)

The area of the court, specific to each team, on either side of the net is bounded by a line between the two sidelines (non-volley zone line) parallel to and 7 feet (2.13 m) from the net.

All NVZ lines are part of the NVZ.

Rule 4.A.2. Serving Placement

The server must serve to the correct service court (the court diagonally opposite the server). The serve may clear or touch the net and must clear the NVZ and the NVZ lines. The serve may land on any other service line.

Players are often confused about a serve that touches the NVZ (often referred as the kitchen) lines. Rules 2.B.3.and 4.A.2. clear up this confusion by making it clear a serve cannot touch any NVZ lines. Any serve that does touch a NVZ line is a fault.

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