Sports

Vermont duo headed to pickleball nationals

By Adam Aucoin
RUTLAND HERALD
Pickleball is a growing sport in the area. It’s a way for people of all ages to stay active and have a little fun in a game that can be as competitive as the players make of it.

For local retirees Ross Nagy and Phil Marcell, the sport will take them a long way.

Nagy, from Rutland, and Marcell, from Castleton, are set to represent Vermont in pickleball at the National Senior Games being held in May in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The duo qualified by playing in the Vermont Senior Games in Burlington.

“Phil and I were like ‘what the heck, let’s go up to the state’s senior games’,” Nagy said. “We didn’t realize it was a qualifier for the National Games.”

Nagy and Marcell will compete in he 75-to-80-year old division.

The stage will be much larger than they’ve seen while playing the sport.

“It will be a new experience. They have the ability to have 40 courts going at once,” Nagy said. “You’re not going to get a chance like this often.”

Pickleball, a game similar to tennis, is played on a smaller court with paddles instead of rackets. It can be played in singles or doubles format. Scoring often goes to 11 in a game, and sometimes 15 or 21 in tournament format.

There are a few key differences between pickleball and tennis. In pickleball, the original serve must be underhand as opposed to overhand in tennis. The receiving team off a serve must let it bounce before returning, and then the serving team must let it bounce before returning.

After the ball has bounced once in each team’s court, both teams may either volley the ball or play it off the bounce. The rule slows the game down a bit and makes for longer rallies.

“It’s a sport that gets people moving,” said Chuck Finberg, the local Rutland leader in the growth of the sport. “It’s a great oasis from what’s been going on in the world the last few years.”

Pickleball has brought Nagy and Marcell together.

Nagy grew up playing basketball and baseball at Otter Valley, where he was a state champion on the baseball diamond in 1963, when the Otters beat Rice 6-4 in the D-I title game.

He went on to play soccer his freshman year at West Point.

Marcell grew up playing baseball and softball in the Burlington area.

Nagy was exposed to the sport when he visited his daughter in Virginia. They invited him to play at the YMCA and he learned the game.

For Marcell, it was about getting exercise.

“I reached out to Vermont Sport and Fitness to get involved,” Marcell said.

Nagy and Marcell started playing around the same time and built a friendship through that.

“I had known his brother before we met,” Nagy said.

“One benefit is that you can make friends very easily,” Marcell said. “If you’re toward the end of your playing career, it’s a great avenue to pursue.”

The duo plays mostly at Vermont Sport and Fitness and at the recreation courts in Rutland.

Pickleball continues to make an imprint in the area and a big factor in that has been the work of Finberg.

“Chuck has done a great job growing the sport and keeps in touch with people from around the country,” Nagy said. “He’s identified clinics that have allowed people to learn the game.”

It’s a sport for all ages and sizes.

“It’s designed for all levels of athletic abilities,” Marcell said. “It’s a very friendly, upbeat game.”

“It can be multi-generational,” Finberg said. “It brings it down to a level where everyone can play. You find yourself rooting for others.

“The sport keeps growing. You see courts become more full with pickleball being played.”

May will be here faster than you know it and it won’t be long until Nagy and Marcell make the trip down south.

Winning is nice, but it’s not the main ingredient that makes up pickleball. The duo will surely be more excited for the experience and the fun that the event brings.

“They are people who enjoy life,” Finberg said. “That’s what they’re champions at.”

adam.aucoin @rutlandherald.com

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