It’s common for towns and cities to rally in support of the hometown pro sports team.
But community bonding can be found in nontraditional sports as well.
Players like the lighter physical impact of having a smaller court and using a paddle versus a racquet.
About 2.5 million people play pickleball, according to theSports & Fitness Industry Association.
In some communities, pickleball is literally muscling into locations once commanded by tennis.
Fun Fact: There is no connection between pickleball and pickles.
There are far more people in the U.S. playing on a casual basis who arent counted in the numbers.
“Most people aren’t tournament players,” says Matt Gregoire of the Professional Disc Golf Association.
“They just want to play with their buddies.
Almost every city or town has some kind of disc golf club.
Players have a common bond: ‘I want to throw this thing at that thing.’
It’s an immediate friendship.”
Most holes are par 3, although some championship courses have longer holes, par 4 or 5.
The variety of courses, from wooded to open or narrow, provides interest and a challenge to players.
Unlike traditional golf, which requires expensive golf clubs and greens fees, disc golf is inexpensive to play.
The most diehard players own dozens or even hundreds of discs, each with different flying properties.
A “driver” is typically thin, similar to a discus, so it flies farther.
A “putter” has a wide, rounded rim so it travels a shorter distance more slowly.
Some discs bank right, some turn left, others fly straight.
In 2015, ESPN even broadcast the Cornhole World Championships for the first time.
TheAmerican Cornhole Organizationruns separate divisions for singles, doubles, seniors, women and juniors.
“Whether you’re 8 years old or 80 years old people are able to play.
In a game two boards are placed opposite one another, 27 feet apart.
A game goes to 21 points.
Bowling Games
Whether calledbocce,petancaorpetanque, outdoor bowling games are pretty much the same.
People can play in teams or solo.
The first to reach 12 points wins.
The circle has included infants and 85-year-olds alike, as well as retirees and adults with special needs.
“We are rhythmic beings.
One of the first experiences we have in our womb is our mother’s heartbeat.
It’s something so basic to us and it’s accessible,” Gaughan says.
“It’s really easy and its really deep and powerful at the same time.”
The drumming is done as a physical, emotional and social experience, not as a performance.
