This month, pickleball became one of the sports on offer at Sport Parkinson’s Try-athlon.
At the event in London, multiple organisations staged trial activities for those living with Parkinson’s – and volunteers from London Pickleball were one of the groups to put on a taster.
A steady stream of people living with Parkinson’s and their partners tried pickleball out for the first time – and the response was huge.
David Hughes, adaptability and inclusivity lead for Pickleball England, tells Pickleball 52 that participants found that the rallies were longer than in other racquet sports, meaning they got more out of playing, using more oxygen and practising balance and coordination.
He adds: “The best take-away for us was from couples trying this for the first time and wives or husbands then stating, ‘This is something we can do together!'”
Stories like this are so uplifting, reinforcing the power of pickleball. A big thanks to Dave and team for making this happen.
Really great initiative David Hughes (are you Welsh by any chance 😅?)
Parkinson’s is so frustrating for those affected and very sad for their family to see the deterioration in movement. However, in my experience with my wonderful brother in
Law .. he could actually do certain things that seemed almost impossible – like play Tables tennis and ‘pick up sticks. It always amazed me and I wish I’d thought of getting him into pickleball now when I read your story.
Well done .. pickleball making a real difference to people’s lives! 👏