By Mark LaRotonda, Special Programs Vice President
The fastest-growing sport in the nation has grabbed ahold of another group of athletes, and they are having a blast! Wheelchair pickleball has hit the courts in the metro Atlanta area, and players from all over Georgia participated in an ALTA mixer at Planet Pickle (Suwanee) in September.
“We had 21 players join us in our first-ever wheelchair pickleball mixer,” said Mark LaRotonda, ALTA’s Vice President of Special Programs. “Planet Pickle is a fantastic facility for wheelchair pickleball. It’s easy to get on and off the courts with the sports chairs. They built it, and we came!”
Lessons were available for those who had never played pickleball before, and a round robin session was held for the more experienced players. “The atmosphere was very upbeat,” LaRotonda said. “Everyone was exhausted! We hope to make this an annual event and to have pickleball become a winter sport for the ALTA wheelchair community.”
ALTA Vice President of Events and Tournaments Carol Brasher was pleased with the mixer. “I thought it went great! Half of the participants had never played before,” she said. “I’m hoping this is the first of many events to come.”
Wheelchair pickleball rules differ slightly from the original rules:
- The ball can bounce twice before being hit. The second bounce can be anywhere on the playing surface.
- During the serve, the back wheels of the chair must be behind the service line.
- The front wheels of the chair may touch the non-volley zone during a volley shot.
Complete rules and definitions can be found at usapickleball.org/wheelchair-pickleball.
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