Pickleball has a bizarre name, but this fast-growing and highly accessible racket sport is easy to play. It’s a fantastic form of exercise for participants of all ages, and it might even become an Olympic sport one day!
The game was devised by three dads on vacation near Seattle, US. Their children were bored, so the fathers improvised a game to entertain them by using table tennis paddles, a badminton court and a perforated plastic ball. As one family’s dog, Pickles, kept chasing the ball, the kids called the sport “Pickles’ ball”—a name that evolved into pickleball.
From these modest beginnings, pickleball has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the US and Canada, with around 4.8 million people now playing regularly. This is an increase of almost 40 percent in two years. It’s played on a small court, such as a badminton court with a lower net or a tennis court with additional boundary lines. The small court means that players don’t exhaust themselves by running around too much.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / 照片：維基共享資源提供
Because of this, it’s good exercise not only for kids but also for the elderly, as well as anyone with physical limitations such as an injury or disability. This aspect of pickleball makes it a superb social activity. Furthermore, the rules are simple and no special clothing is needed. These simple requirements mean it’s easy for a community to set up pickleball courts.
Pickleball is widespread outside North America as well. The International Federation of Pickleball lists players and clubs in 70 different countries. If this number grows to 75, then the sport will have met one of the necessary conditions to become an Olympic event. While there are other conditions to be fulfilled, there’s a distinct possibility that pickleball players may one day appear at the world’s premier athletic competition!
匹克球有一個奇怪的名字，但這項快速發展且容易理解的球拍運動非常好上手。對於所有年齡層的參與者來說，這是一種極佳的運動，有朝一日它甚至有可能成為一項奧運的比賽項目！
這款遊戲是由三位在美國西雅圖近郊度假的父親們設計的。他們的孩子很無聊，所以父親們即興使用桌球拍、羽毛球場，和一顆有孔的塑料球設計了一個遊戲來娛樂他們。由於其中一組家庭名叫匹克的寵物狗一直追著球跑，孩子們就暱稱這項運動為「匹克的球」——這個名字也演變成了匹克球。
縱使有這些不起眼的起源，匹克球已成為美國和加拿大發展最快的運動項目之一，現在約有四百八十萬人會固定打匹克球。運動人數在兩年內增長了將近百分之四十。比賽在一個小球場上進行，例如一個網子較低的羽毛球場或一個有額外邊界線的網球場。小球場意味著球員不會因為過度跑動而耗盡體力。
因為如此，它不僅適合孩子，也很適合老年人，以及任何有像是受傷或殘疾等身體限制的人。匹克球的這個面向使其成為一項非常棒的社交活動。此外，它的規則很簡單而且不需要特別的服裝。這些單純的需求意味著一個社區可以輕鬆搭建匹克球場。
匹克球在北美以外也很普遍。國際匹克球聯會名列了七十個不同國家的球員和俱樂部。如果這個數字增加到七十五，那麼這項運動將滿足成為奧運比賽項目的必要條件之一。雖然還有其他條件需要達成，但匹克球選手有朝一日確實很有可能會出現在世界頂級的體育賽事之中！
MORE INFORMATION
pickleball n. 匹克球
one and all 所有人；大家
racket n. 球拍
improvise v. 即興（製作；表演等）
paddle n. 球拍；球板
perforated adj. 穿孔的；有孔洞的
federation n. 聯盟；同盟
KEY VOCABULARY
1. pastime n. 娛樂；消遣
Playing online games is one of my favorite pastimes.
玩線上遊戲是我最喜歡的娛樂之一。
2. participant n. 參與者
There were over 200 participants in the city’s popular 15km race.
有超過兩百位參賽者，參加了這座城市受歡迎的十五公里賽跑。
3. physical adj. 身體的；生理的
Tony’s job requires a lot of physical labor, so he’s always tired in the evenings.
東尼的工作需要大量體力，所以他晚上總是感到疲累。
4. aspect n. 方面；層面
? The journalism students studied every aspect of the media in class.
這些新聞系學生在課堂上研究了媒體的每個面向。
5. community n. 社區；群體
Each community must have access to police and fire departments, as well as libraries and other social services.
每一個社區都必須要有使用警消單位、圖書館與其他社會服務的管道。
6. set up 建立；設置
The university has decided to set up a radio station that will be run by students.
這間大學決定設立一個由學生營運的廣播電台。
7. fulfill v. 達成；履行
If you don’t fulfill your promise, you will lose my trust forever.
如果你無法實現你的諾言，你將永遠失去我的信任。
8. distinct adj. 顯著的；明顯的
Noah speaks with a distinct Australian accent, which makes it very easy to locate him among a crowd of Americans.
諾亞說話有著明顯的澳洲口音，這讓人很容易在一群美國人之中找到他。
9. premier adj. 頂尖的；首要的
The premier fantasy art team revealed their newest exhibition.
這組頂尖的奇幻藝術團隊公開了他們最新的展覽。
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