Denny Vetton is relishing testing the waters on his pickleball journey.
Dunstable’s Vetton only took up the sport four months ago but has already made it to the 2024 Skechers English Nationals in Bolton, competing in the wheelchair category.
The majority of his playing experience has come against able-bodied competitors so he welcomed the chance to witness the best England has to offer on the pickleball court.
He said: “The sport was introduced to me by one of my friends and they were starting a pickleball club and trying to include wheelchair players, so I gave it a try, found it interesting and joined my local club.
“I’ve been playing for four months. I’m able to do a rally. I’m here to see what the kind of standards are because I’ve not played wheelchair pickleball before and I’m trying to see how I stack up against them.
“It’s still not my primary sport yet so I just want to see how well I can perform.”
Pickleball is a racket sport which sees players compete with paddles and using a perforated plastic ball.
The sport is played indoors and outdoors and was invented in 1965 as a children’s backyard game in the United States but is a fast-growing sport for all ages across England
Taking place from Thursday 31 October to Sunday 3 November at Bolton Arena, the English Nationals comprises four days of high-level competition, with a record number of 1,111 pickleball players competing in the North West.
On the sport’s accessibility, Vetton said: “I find it’s one of the easier sports to start with because all abilities can play.
“It’s so accessible because you don’t have a lot of cross-court play it’s safe to play with another player and also for different levels it’s easy for them to adjust their game without losing interest.
“It’s important to have those kinds of sports. Sport is so important to not only keeping active but also your mind and to be able to integrate with able-bodied people.
“It’s better than just playing a wheelchair-only sport because you’re mixing with able-bodied people more.
“When I started, people were a bit cautious and didn’t know what to expect from a wheelchair player but now if they find another one, they’ll feel comfortable so that helps a lot with challenging stereotypes.”
Pickleball England has announced a record number of over 1,000 players competing at the 2024 Skechers English Nationals. The tournament takes place from the 31st October – 3rd November at Bolton Arena and is the second largest national pickleball event. For more information, visit www.pickleballengland.org
