ELIZABETHTOWN — Although sports like tennis and pickleball retreat to indoor arenas during the cold winter weather, some hearty souls don heavy jackets, toques, and mittens or gloves and continue to play platform tennis outside.
It is not uncommon to have “shoveling parties” after a bad storm, when members gather with shovels and brooms to clear the land.
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The “platform” is a raised flat area, which is used to place heating elements underneath. The goal is not to keep players warm but to melt any ice that may have formed on the rough-textured pitch, resulting in a non-slip metal surface. However, care must be taken in the event of a fall, as unprotected or lightly covered skin can be seriously abraded. The courts are lit for night play and have warming huts.
The game itself is a cross between several sports using balls, rackets or paddles. Similar to tennis, like scoring, there are differences.
“Left” balls – those that hit the net on a serve and go the other way – are legal. The regulation field measures 44×20 feet with eight feet between the back line and the screen and five feet to the sides. Generally, the sport is played in pairs, with players alternating after each game. The first team to win six matches wins the set.
In the event of a tie at five-on-five, the teams play seven-a-side, although there may be agreement on when to stop the match. Usually, players change partners after a set until three matches are played.
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The field is surrounded by a 12-foot-high screen. If a ball in play or on the serve touches play in the correct court and then touches any part of the back or side screens, or both screens or the horizontal top, rails or boards, it may be played, provided it does not bounce off play a second time before being struck by the player. A ball removed from the screen must be returned directly to the opposing team.
A platform tennis ball is made of spongy rubber measuring 2.5 inches in diameter. It is smaller and lighter than a tennis ball, designed for single play in cold weather, and can be played off the surrounding screens of the court.
At the bottom of the screen is an articulating snowboard, which allows snow to be pushed, making it easier to remove.
Following an email request, the following players responded:
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Playing for five years, Linda Deyo, of Keene, volunteered “because it’s year-round exercise and relatively inexpensive. The hardest part for me is getting it off the corner cables.”
Carole Harsh, of Wadhams, started playing in 1975 at Keene Valley and took a few lessons at the field outside of Plattsburgh.
“I usually play Elizabethtown twice a week, but sometimes more often if I’m asked to fill in. Of course, I always hope that someone else has shoveled the field after the last snow, but I guess that’s just part of the exercise,” she said. “The hardest part of the game is moving fast enough to outwit my opponents. I hope more kids get introduced to the sport because it’s suitable for all ages.”
Nina Matteau, of Wadhams, started 12 years ago and plays three times a week in Elizabethtown and Keene Valley.
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“I love racquet sports. I love that they take you outside in the dead of winter,” Matteau said.
“The hardest part when you’re starting out is establishing a foursome to play. I understand the popularity of pickleball because, like platform tennis, you’re close enough to your fellow players to socialize, but the court is cheaper to build. All you need for pickleball is a net and a few lines on the sidewalk.
“Platform tennis requires an expensive court and cage, but it’s so addictive. I’ve played pickleball. It’s loud and nowhere near as difficult due to learning the wires.”
Mary McGowen, of Elizabethtown, plays because “it gets you out of the house in the winter and outdoors. I started eight years ago, two or three times a week – usually November through June, before hiking, climbing and other activities. Getting the ball where I think I want to hit it and in very cold weather is a challenge, but the hand warmers help.”
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Leslie Shipps, of Keene Valley, said it’s all about the health benefits.
“I play for my health, of course,” Shipps said. “But unlike other things I do for my health (like eating kale, flossing, and getting a flu shot), this one is so much fun that I often forget that’s why I’m doing it. Paddleboarding has the added benefit of being able to play it after dark.
“My husband and I played occasionally in the late 70s and early 80s in the Syracuse area, but we got distracted by raising our children and pursuing our careers and stopped completely for 30 years.
“The hardest part is positioning yourself and playing out of bounds. I’m small and not particularly strong and I like the fact that it’s possible to play a fiery game without having a powerful serve, a smash and a hard, fast drive.”
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Rob DeMuro says he plays because “it’s a chance to go out in the winter with good friends and move. The hardest part is losing. After that, it’s probably deciding when to quit.”
“There were very few municipal paddle courts until the ’70s. That’s when I discovered paddle boarding,” said Linda Rockefeller, of Westpot. “After the tennis season was over, we all switched to paddle boarding from October until April. In 1980 I joined the Pound Ridge Tennis Club. At that time I was hooked and I was much younger and much more competitive.
“As a winter sport, it gives me another alternative to exercise since I don’t ski and enjoy going out in the winter with people who share a common interest. I find the hardest part of the game to be returning a ball that hits the side and/or back screen, and now, at my advanced age, it’s tracking my serve to the net.”
Rockefeller provided some information to the Elizabethtown court.
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“When we moved to Westport in 2002, many avid tennis players already lived here and were interested in the possibility of introducing paddle boarding to the area. Jim Kinley was a driving force in making this happen. Many organizational meetings later and calls from interested parties (also frustrations and disappointments), the court location, intended for Essex, was turned down. But soon after, the Elizabethtown Community Center expressed interest. We We raised $17,000 and the rest is history. Thanks to the Social Center, they were willing to fund the court until it was paid off through membership dues.
For court information, email elizabethtownsocialcenter.org.
