Paddles up for pickleball championships

AROUND 40 players from Northern Rivers Pickleball are preparing to compete in the Australian Pickleball Championships on the Gold Coast next month.

Up to 1,200 players have registered for the event, which is the second largest of its kind in the world outside the United States, where the sport is extremely popular, after the English Open.

It will be held at KDV Sport Carrara from October 2 to October 7.

The increasingly popular sport, which can be played indoors or outdoors, combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, with two players (singles) or four players (doubles) hitting a ball over a net.

Daniel Lindquist from East Ballina is among those in training for the competition.

The 37-year-old took up pickleball a year ago and has already won two gold medals at the Gold Coast Grand Slam tournament in the gender doubles, in which he competed with his brother Chris, and the mixed doubles.

“Pickleball is such a fun and addictive sport for all ages,” he said.

“It seems to be one sport that anyone can pick up a paddle and not be too bad at it in a couple of months.

“I play with a lot of people senior to me who definitely hold their own.

“They are strong competitors and teach me a lot about the game.

“I go for the competitive side, but I also go for the fun side.

“There’s a great group of people in the club and without them being there and supporting us all, we wouldn’t be producing such great players to compete at the national level.”