Pulaski Countian takes home Pickleball first place
Oct. 3—Pickleball is a sport growing in popularity, and at the 2023 Men's Doubles at the World Chicken Festival Pickleball Open, Josh Frost of Adair County and Alex Price of Pulaski County took first place.
Frost and Price have played together for about two years, and they believe they've developed a synergy that combines their differing playing styles.
At the World Chicken Festival in late September, twenty-four teams played in total. There were several pools culminating in the final single elimination tournament.
The tournament was especially psychologically taxing for Frost and Price, because the duo was up against the team who had beat them in pool play earlier that day. Still, they pulled ahead with a score of 16-14.
"We did well," remarked Price. "We did just enough good stuff to win."
Price spoke to the Commonwealth Journal about why he feels Pickleball is so rewarding and said that there are several elite players in Pulaski County and surrounding areas. A Eubank resident, he's had the pleasure to play with many of them. A sport picking up steam across the globe, Pickleball clearly demonstrates it has a wide appeal.
"Pickleball is very convenient for everyone who wants to play," said Price. "Men, women, young, old, and everyone in between. Styles of play range between Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, (and) Professional levels. There is definitely a learning curve as you progress."
Price likened the sport to ping-pong and tennis, as all three of the sports are net games. However, he said, the scoring is much simpler in Pickleball — likely a relief to new players who are put off by the learning curve to the tennis scoring system.
"It is an easy thing to take up. You can learn the rules very easy, and it's great exercise," said Price. "It is easy to improve, but hard to master. It's like a lot of other sports, It takes a lot of games and repetitions to improve and add to your game."
Price said he'd played competitive games with friends almost every weekend since he began, and he said that this is what's helped give him and Frost their edge.
"The camaraderie is great," said Price. "There are actually several elite players in our area. We all compete and go hard at each other in our matches, but we look out for each other as well. It's one of those things you really want everyone improving and playing at a high level and your own play will benefit from it. The guys that I play with have become some of my very best friends."
Price said that he and Frost don't play for attention, but rather for the love of the game. But if Price had his druthers, he'd prefer there were more options for Pulaskian players.
"We currently have no outdoor courts," said Price. "We are so far ahead of the curve in so many areas that draw people to our town, but we are very behind in Pickleball. I know most of the elite players in our area have to travel out of town to find competitive games, that's what I'm having to do. I am certainly glad to be growing with the game and to have had some success recently, but I just play because I like it. I do hope that it brings some attention to the need of some outdoor courts in our town."
