Seventy-one-year-old George Pringle still loves to play sports and he is not planning on slowing down anytime soon.
He played football in Connecticut at a time when players wore leather helmets without a face mask.
Pringle also was a star on the diamond, tennis and basketball courts, and was elected to the Miami-Dade Softball Hall of Fame.
The sports made him famous and now he wants to make an unheralded sport widely known in South Florida.
Pringle is seeking to start a Pickle Ball league in Miami Lakes for senior citizens to help keep them active and having fun.
Pickle Ball is a racquet sport which combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis.
Two to four players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a polymer perforated ball over a net. The sport shares features of other racket sports, the dimensions and layout of a Badminton court, and a net and rules similar to tennis with a few modifications.
Pringle said Pickle Ball is popular in northern Florida but is unheard of in South Florida.
He said he’s looking for players and hopes they can use some tennis courts in Miami Lakes to play Pickle Ball.
“It’s a great senior sport,” said Pringle, who recently won the Senior Games in Cutler Bay. “It will keep senior citizens busy.”
Pickle Ball is one of the fastest growing sports in North America, and it was invented in the mid 1960s as a children's backyard pastime, but quickly became popular among adults as a fun game for players of all skill levels.
For more information, call Pringle at 786-897-3577.