The Friendship Centers of Emmet County (Council on Aging) and North Central Michigan College are teaming up to offer a new sport for active seniors age 60 and over at the North Central Michigan College Student and Community Resource Center.

A pickleball exhibition 1-3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, will introduce the sport and provide information about participation. All are welcome to come and observe. There will be ample time for everyone to get on the court and give the sport a try.

No experience is necessary, just a willingness to experience the fun of a new indoor activity. Equipment will be provided. Pickleball is a court sport best described as a cross between tennis, racquetball and ping-pong. The court is 44 x 20 and divided by a 34 inch high net. It is played as a singles game with one person on a side, or as a doubles game. Each player uses a wooden composite paddle. The object of the game is to score points by successfully hitting a 3-inch diameter plastic ball that is perforated with holes (commonly known as a whiffle-ball) across the net without it being successfully returned by the opponent(s).

For more information about the sport, check out the U.S. Pickleball Association Web site, www.usapa.org The sport is played by people all across the U.S. Many seniors have taken up the sport in their retirement years but it is also played by thousands of school children and top athletes in their 20s and 30s. It is an easy sport to learn and most everyone can play the game after just a short time of hitting the ball back and forth across the net. However, it is also a sport where you can keep learning new strokes and increasingly sophisticated strategies.

As the sport has grown in popularity it has continued to be played in back yards but it has also spawned many competitive tournaments across the country. Brian Welsh, Friendship Centers fitness director, hopes that the exhibition will entice individuals who would like to play weekly at the college.

While there is no cost for the exhibition, there will be a $3 charge per session for those who would like to participate on a weekly basis. Play will be scheduled for 1-3 p.m. Thursdays, for the winter months. For more information, call the Council on Aging at 347-3211 or (888) 347-0369.