The Maine Senior Games kick off this weekend, and Gorham will host better than 100 athletes competing for gold in the up-and-coming sport of pickleball.

“We have three pickleball-specific courts that we just completely re-did,” says Mike Gradone, sports director for the Gorham Parks and Recreation Department.

“Those are at the Little Falls Community Center. And then we have two others across the street, over by the old Robie School, which are tennis courts that have pickleball (lines) painted on them as well.”

“Pickleball is a great game,” says Jo Dill, 70, who heads up the Maine Senior Games. Dill concedes her true passion is basketball – in fact, she’s just returned from the National Senior Games, where she broke her wrist as part of a bronze-medal effort by the women’s team – but likes to try every sport she can, not simply because she’s a voracious athlete, but also to know that sport from the inside out.

Pickleball has exploded in popularity in recent years, especially among seniors. The sport is something of a cross between tennis and ping-pong; it can be played on a tennis court, provided additional lines are laid down, but participants use paddles similar to those used in ping-pong. The ball resembles a Wiffleball. The playing area is smaller, which means less running and pounding on a hard surface, and thus less impact on bones and joints.

Gradone is only 37 – not nearly a senior yet – but he’s nevertheless tried out the sport, and found it to be great fun.

“It’s exploded in popularity in this town, so, being sports director, it’s kind of important that I know at least a little bit about the game. I very much enjoyed it,” he said.

The Maine Senior Games is a major event scheduled across several weekends and numerous venues. A long list of individual events is offered, including archery, bowling, cycling, golf, racquetball, cornhole toss, swimming and more. Basketball is offered as a team sport.

Besides Gorham, numerous other towns and cities will welcome competitions in the coming weeks. The Senior Games get as far north as Waterville this year, and as far south as Sanford. Events will also be held in Scarborough, Kennebunk, North Yarmouth and elsewhere.

“We’re pretty much all over the place,” says Dill, who finds it relatively straightforward to coordinate the games despite their disparate locations, simply because they don’t all happen on the same weekend.

Senior games competitions are organized in each state by local affiliates of the National Senior Games Association, but not every state runs their games the same way.

“Some states have their games all on one weekend,” says Dill. “We prefer to spread them out, so those athletes that want to participate in more than one sport will have a chance to.”

The setup also allows Dill to attend every event, which she insists on doing to not only assess for herself how well it goes, but also to meet the athletes, a top priority of hers.

“How am I going to know if it’s truly successful unless I’m there?” she says. “And it’s very important to me to get to know my athletes.”

The pickleball tournament starts at 9 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday. Interested parties can register online; the Maine Senior Games are at http://www.mainesrgames.org.

For more photos, visit www.keepmecurrent.com/sports, and follow @CurrentSportsME on Twitter.

Paul Hawkes and Jackie Lozier are set to compete in this weekend’s pickleball tournament in Gorham as part of the Maine Senior Games.Photo courtesy of Dennis Sheehy

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