ALTA Pickleball gave us something new
By Henry Vincent, Pickleball Leagues Vice President
One of the things I enjoy most about pickleball is there is always room to try something different. Last season, ALTA did just that.
In addition to our standard Mixed Pickleball League, players had an opportunity to compete in a Co-Ed League with a different lineup format. And while the names may have sounded similar, the experience on the court was different. Our traditional mixed league features one men’s line, one women’s line, and two mixed lines. The Co-Ed League changed things up with two men’s lines and two women’s lines. As you might expect, our players had opinions!
One of the more interesting pieces of feedback came from women who enjoyed pickleball but missed sharing the court with their husbands. For many couples, that’s part of the fun of mixed pickleball. They practice together, celebrate the great shots together, and occasionally have a friendly discussion about whose ball that “really” was. You know who you are!
For those players, the original pickleball mixed league format offers something special. It allows couples, friends, and teammates to compete side by side in a format that is unique to ALTA pickleball. But we heard something else, too. Some players really enjoyed playing the gender-specific lines. For some of our men and women, playing men’s and women’s doubles created a completely different experience, and they liked it.
That same enthusiasm is part of what makes our men’s and women’s pickleball leagues exciting as well. What the summer season reminded us is that there isn’t necessarily one “right” way to enjoy league pickleball. Some players love mixed doubles. Some love men’s or women’s doubles. Some want to play alongside their spouse. And some may secretly enjoy having one league night when their spouse is safely on another court!
Fortunately, there is room for all of them. The feedback wasn’t unanimous. It tells us our pickleball community isn’t one-size-fits-all. Ask the wife who loves competing beside her husband, and she’ll probably vote for mixed. Ask the player who found the perfect women’s doubles partner last season, and you may get a completely different answer. Ask someone else, and the response might simply be, “Which league lets me play the most pickleball?”
As we close out another year of ALTA pickleball, the real takeaway from trying something new is this: Every format doesn’t have to be everyone’s favorite. When the paddles come out, and the first ball is served, we’re all there for many of the same reasons — to compete, connect, laugh a little, and hopefully, leave the court already looking forward to the next match.
And if you get to ride home with your doubles partner, just remember what happens on the pickleball court should probably stay on the pickleball court — especially if you’re married to them!
