Pickleball: Smaller Court, Bigger Injuries

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Pickleball Post-Op

Ok, I’ll admit it… I was a pickleball hater.

I mean, come on, it’s pickleball.

Let me start by saying, I’m a legit athlete. Like “hold my beer while I freestyle across this alligator-infested lake and scale a 10-foot fence in flip-flops” kind of athlete. So the idea of pickleball, as I thought it was played, seemed… well… ridiculous.

Then one of my son’s friends challenged me to a game, and obviously, I was going to crush him and his soul. I’d seen pickleball before, not impressed. The players barely moved more than two inches the whole game. I wasn’t going to break a sweat.

Cut to one humid afternoon later: I’d just survived what I can only call full-assault pickleball in 1,000-degree Florida heat, and a new passion was born. Turns out, I’d been lied to. Real pickleball is basically tennis on a smaller court, with a shorter paddle, bizarre rules, and a ball that seems to ignore all known laws of physics.

After binge-watching dozens of videos of former tennis pros smashing their way through the sport, pickleball has earned my respect. And I take you down this little story to say, no wonder so many people are getting injured. (Don’t worry, I’m still pickleball injury-free… for now.) And according to ER doctors, I’m lucky.

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S., but with its rise comes a spike in trips to the emergency room. Dr. Michael Nguyen, an ER physician at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital in St. Pete, says they treat at least one pickleball injury a week, and we’re not talking paper cuts from the rulebook. We’re talking rolled ankles, broken ankles, and knee injuries from slipping, sliding, and falling while going for that perfect shot.

Nationwide, a recent study showed an 11-fold increase in pickleball injuries between 2010 and 2019. Women over 60 see the highest number of fractures, and 92% of broken bones happen when someone dives or slides for the ball.

But despite the risk, Dr. Nguyen doesn’t want you to stop playing. He just wants players to be smart: warm up, wear proper shoes, don’t play on wet courts, and consider protective eyewear.

I’ll skip the eyewear. But as soon as I get the awkward movement of this ball figured out, it’s over.

Time For Some Dirty Talk

(It’s Just Trash Bins, Get Your Mind Out of The Gutter)

Trash isn’t the sexiest subject we’ve ever covered in The Southshore Circle.
But like taxes and awkward family photos, it’s something we all have in common.

Every day, we toss something in a can, to put into another can, and watch it disappear into a landfill. That’s about as much thought as we give it. But maybe, just maybe, we should think a little harder.

Take regular old food, for example. Would you eat lunch meat that’s been sitting on the counter for days? Now imagine it after a few hours in 95-degree Florida heat. You don’t have to imagine. Salmonella, E. Coli, Listeria, Clostridium Perfringens, the list goes on. (Google it if you need a visual.) All of it hanging out in your trash bin like teens at the mall on Saturday.

No wonder trash bin cleaning services exist.

I’ll be honest, paying someone to clean my trash bins once struck me as odd. Not like I clean mine myself, but hey… they’re trash bins. They’re supposed to be dirty. Right?
Wrong. Months, years of deadly bacteria building up on something you touch at least twice a week is enough to make anyone pause. We roll these things around bare-handed, store them where our kids play, and sometimes keep these bacteria buckets in our garages. Welcome to Ground Zero.

Florida Fresh Bins says no more. They don’t just remove the stink, they remove the real culprit: germs, bacteria, and all manner of just plain gross. No, you don’t need your trash bins clean enough to swim in, but if the choice is a CDC crime scene or $15 a month… please, take my money.

Before you ask, YES, I absolutely signed up. And you can join the bacteria resistance today. Cut your first cleaning in half with code FRESH50 at checkout. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Stop The Stink

Things to do

What’s Washing Up on The Shore This Week

The Patrick Wesley Wheeler Foundation

Spirit Night is coming — Monday, August 18th!
Duck Donuts (the kids love it) and the always-reliable Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, are teaming up to support children in Tampa Bay who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Just mention “Hand in Hand” when you order, and part of your purchase will go toward the cause.

Not local? You can still help — The Patrick Wesley Wheeler Foundation is a 501(c)(3), so all donations are tax-deductible. Give here: Donate

Good food, great cause… and seriously, you can never go wrong with hot donuts and Beef’s.

Southshore Spotlight

Girls of The World INC

Founded in 2009 inside the Pasco County Girls Juvenile Detention Center, Girls of the World Inc. has been helping young women realize that their circumstances don’t define their future. From building confidence in at-risk teens in Florida to launching programs in Cleveland’s inner city, and now mentoring over 200 girls from their Apollo Beach location, the impact has been life-changing. Many of their participants have gone on to college, military service, or successful careers, proving that with guidance and support, every girl can reach her full potential.

Your Backyard Time Machine: Ruskin’s Paleo Preserve

It may not be the La Brea Tar Pits, but in Ruskin we’ve got a pit… well, actually a pond now… that holds million-year-old secrets.

Every Saturday, the Paleo Preserve Fossil Museum inside Camp Bayou Preserve opens its doors and takes you on a trip back to a time when Florida was home to elephants, saber-toothed cats, llamas, and armadillos so big you could literally make a tent out of their shells (don’t try that, though, museum rules and all).

This all started in the 1980s when a Ruskin shell pit started giving up prehistoric treasures, think mammoth tusks, giant sloth fingernails, and more ancient creatures than a Jurassic Park sequel. Docent Patty Moore has been sharing these finds since 2014, and she’ll happily tell you the story behind every fossil, from a massive mammoth tusk (rarely fossilized) to a saber-toothed tiger skull that will make you rethink your place in the food chain.

You don’t need a passport or a plane ticket to discover something incredible, you just need a Saturday morning and a short drive. The Paleo Preserve is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with guided tours and even fossil digs.

History, science, and adventure, all in your own backyard. Go check it out… before the mammoth comes looking for his tusk.

AROUND TOWN

Foodies Only

Food Reviews by The Honest Food Guy

Today’s review is on a local favorite for when your sweet tooth calls the shots.
Click below to check out the review of Tampa Bay Cake Company in Apollo Beach.

AROUND TOWN

We Know a Guy…or Girl

Southshore Services

Does a bear poop in the woods? 

We’re not sure… but if it clogs the pipes, we’ll be there. Kuma Plumbing & Drain — from full repipes to bear-sized blockages, we handle it all. The bear necessity for all your plumbing needs.

Paws off the plunger, we’ve got this.

Contact Kuma Plumbing & Drain Today

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News or Events you’d like to share? Email us at: [email protected] 

Until next time,

Keep It Local.