I chose to display a picture from the recent 2024 movie “The Substance” which accurately depicts the attitudes of old age most specifically regarding the Hollywood spotlight. The movie follows a famous tv show host of an aerobics instructor that is recently let go from her job after just turning 40 years old. She is then given the choice to take this substance that turns her young into a new personality so that she is able to continue her job, but in a new body. As the movie progresses she slowly is ruining herself and using the substance in a dangerous and improper way. I really enjoyed how it highlighted the standards society and especially Hollywood has on individuals once they get older, however this is mainly targeted at women. This movie sneaks highlights of the discussion of gender as well, for there are many older men who are still successful and given amazing opportunities through this movie, however it continues to truly highlights for the main female protagonist got everything taken away from her. I think it is really important for many to watch to understand societal expectations and the harm it may lead to.

After significant research on “The Great Peterborough Pickleball Debacle” there are many issues that arise within the argument on the perspective of both sides. Peterborough council is opting to expand bonneworth park by growing the size of its skateboard park and adding 16 new pickle ball courts to fill the massive green space that inhabits the area, this serving as controversial due to the many uses of the natural green space by residents (Anselmi, 2024). The debacle views both perspectives within this plan, one perspective is through the residents who live in homes that surround this park within a residential area, for they see this park every day and use it through the seasons. Residents are especially furious because they feel that they have no voice within this plan, that this park is not the appropriate place for these courts to be built, and the inconvenience of the burden of noises that will be heard through 16 pickle ball games at once. Jennifer Bernard who is a concerned resident directly states within a global news interview “It is not the sport that I am against, it is the placement within a residential community (Davis et Lothian, 2024). There is an additional side to this debacle which comes from the perspective of the players who are hoping for more pickle ball courts within the city of Peterborough. The Peterborough pickle ball association states that there is an urgency for these new courts due to the rise in incoming number of players within the association that have nowhere to play (Global News, 2024). Former president of the association Bruce Bozec states that there should be a compromise between the need for courts and the placement, most likely away from a residential area (Global News 2024). Residents are protesting within the park and attending council meetings to insert their voice and concerns within this new expansion plan. The biggest debacle here is will these players receive new courts, and will it be in a location that does not inhabit a residential neighbourhood?

Within this debacle and debate the community of an older population plays a significant role within the pickle ball community. Pickle ball, and the Peterborough pickle ball association in general has a significant elder population participating within the sport, and it is unfortunate to see the decline and denying of better access to these services for a sport that embraces elders as athletes. There are very few sports within society that are deemed “acceptable” and “appropriate” for older athletes, and even though pickleball is seen as one it lacks the proper services to become accessible to its players. On the Peterborough pickleball associations website online they list places that offer pickle ball courts around Peterborough, and two of those are listed at senior homes, Maple Ridge Senior centre, and Activity Haven Senior centre, this demonstrating that senior centers are hosting courts and games due to catering to its population (Peterborough pickleball, 2025).  It is important to understand that we should foster these sports environments that elders find themselves safe and participating in, for it begins to move away from an ageist lens on how we view older athletes within sports, this can be highlighted through Elizabeth Pikes work seen earlier within the module. I feel that the Peterborough council and community may not be taking this sport as seriously due to the population who inhabits it, this idea stems from Elizabeth Pike’s article that covers the difference within treatment of sports depending on the age bracket that participates within it. Pike states that teams and sports comprised of 50 plus year olds involve less competition within the sport, it is seen as more “for fun” or a hobby, this can be a reason why people do not view it as a “serious” sport and thus lack the urgency to provide facilities for older athletes (Pike, 2015). Pike additionally refers to the concept of the “heroic model” which helps readers understand a number of cultural factors that limit elder involvement within sports, these being embarrassment and fear, lack of relevant role models, and most importantly insufficient appropriate facilities (Pike, 2015). A neoliberal agenda within society will poorly provide appropriate facilities to older athletes, due to their main concern being to fund programs that involve younger athletes and the youth. I find that Peterborough council is attempting to address these issues and provide enough courts for pickle ball players, but in the poorest way that they can. Residents are upset on the placement of these courts, and it is also quite bizarre that they are planning to have 16 in one area and not spread them out evenly across Peterborough. Additionally, there are players apart of the association themselves who are understanding the issues that the residents have with the placement of the courts. I would be curious on how they would approach this situation if the population was much younger or if it was a different sport. Through understanding treatment of young versus older athletes, one can examine the different lens that society uses within age groups, this truly displaying an ageist agenda within the sports community. Despite these ageist views against older individuals playing pickleball it is proven to be a sport that promotes healthy living significantly across all ages, and especially elders. I want to be able to highlight its impact and importance on aging bodies that begin to move against the never-ending ageist views that are placed on older athletes.

Much of the media categorizes the sport of pickleball as an “old person sport”, however why is this? Any sport within society can be categorized as a sport for all ages, however pickleball is one that holds the reputation that best fits the needs of older athletes. It is as if society cannot understand that elders can play the same games as youth and compete against other age groups, society believes that they need their own individual sport to be categorized into and accepted. Despite the acceptance of pickle ball as an “old person sport” much of society is still against the game due to rises in injuries amongst elders and a so called “healthcare burden” that these scenarios create. Karen Gross writes within her article about pickle ball and aging that helps readers acknowledge the injuries that may occur within the sport, but ultimately this isn’t the only outcome occurring. Gross states that although there are spikes in injuries within the sport, society should not make that the sole focus of what outcomes the sport gives their older

athletes (Gross, 2023). Gross hints to the fact that the media loves to thrive on the portion that represents the negative within the sport, but then proceeds to fail to recognize the rise in exercise, socialization, relationships, teamwork, and joy, as these are all effective contributions to healthy aging (Gross, 2023). Looking back on Elizabeth Pike’s article she explains that many deem certain sports as “inappropriate” for elders mainly due to a fear of health care burdens and injuries, and you can classify pickleball as one of those concerns (Pike, 2015). Cheryl Miller who is a vice president of therapy operations in Florida writes through her blog the many benefits that pickleball brings to older adults, this supporting Karen Gross’ defense within her blog (Miller, 2023). Miller states that pickleball aims to support the many aspects of healthy aging for older adults, this through the incorporation of physical, mental, social, and behavioural health (Miller, 2023). It does not seem like Peterborough is the only city facing the troubles of accommodating pickleball players, for CBC covered a story on the growing pressure of a need for pickleball courts in the Kitchner, Waterloo, Guelph, and Wellington area. It seems like their areas council as well is not very accommodating to the sport of pickleball, and there has been a request for more opportunities to give this older population hours and courts to play on (Chaarani,2024). The article states that within the surrounding area their association is catering around 2,600 to 2,800 individuals who want to engage within this sport (Chaarani, 2024).

There are significant articles given within this mini assignment that help to support the many arguments and ideas presented by blog writers like Karen Gross and Cheryl Miller. As reviewed earlier there is extensive support proving the impact sports like pickleball can have on healthy aging within older adults. Regarding the concern of health burdens that support ageist ideals of certain sports like pickleball, this study shows that participants feel pickleball helps to promote agility, balance, coordination, and flexibility, ultimately reducing health risks (Heo et Ryu, 2024). These findings help promote the understanding to why we need to sort of minimize the infantilization of elders and look more towards the benefits that can rise from giving elders their individuality within the sports world. Many believe that when people grow older their independence and capability are suddenly minimized, this leading to the infantilization treatment of older adults. However, I feel that it is quite important to give them the independence and freedom to participate within sports communities and build healthy aging skills through time. Additionally, this study helps support the findings of community and social aspects that pickleball help to promote, that being why I chose the photo above to represent the happiness and healthy living promotion pickle ball offers to older adults. The study reveals a participant Dan who stated “You get a chance to meet people. Yes. And a lot of people here, on the weekends or whatever, they play cards together, they play golf together, they do social events for dinner together.” (Heo et Ryu, 2024). This article as well helps readers understand that we need to stop categorizing sports as “elder sports”, for pickleball is seen as an intergenerational sport, one that welcomes all ages and populations to participate and compete against each other (Heo et Ryu, 2024). A participant in the study Jane speaks of helping her grandchild to participate in the sport as she was able to teach him when he was just two years old (Heo et Ryu, 2024). Lastly, I want to defend and help others to understand the mental and happiness aspect that pickleball has to offer its players, for we understand the integration of multiple benefits of pickleball, from the mind to the body. A study was conducted amongst elder pickleball players to determine the connection between the sport and elder happiness. The findings were successful in suggesting that there indeed was a significant and positive impact predicted by general happiness among older adults who engaged in pickleball (Heo et al. 2021). Through proof that happiness is induced by the sport we can understand the positive impact this can have on the mental development of elders through a crucial point in their lifetime, this can lead to positive mood state and fewer depressive symptoms through their life (Heo et al. 2021). It is important to foster community, physical health, and most certainly mental health for a population who navigates new parts of life when they seem to retire and have more free space filled up amongst their days. It would be extremely efficient for older adults to partake within a sport to fill that time and void, and at the same time build community, and mental wellbeing! I feel that the next steps within Peterborough and many other cities are to understand the significance of sports and how they benefit their population, to move away from a neoliberal agenda that infantilizes elders and provides constant barriers from them participating in the world of sports, and most importantly spreading a message that physical activity and access to participation is essential through every age of the population.

References:

Anselmi , E. (2024a, April 8). Plan to pave a Peterborough Park for pickleball faces pushback | the narwhal. the narwhal . https://thenarwhal.ca/opinion-peterborough-pickleball-paves-park/

Global News. (2024, March 26). Pickleball Pickle: Peterborough residents protest bonnerworth park redevelopment project: Watch news videos online. https://globalnews.ca/video/10385921/pickleball-pickle-residents-protest-bonnerworth-park-redevelopment-project

Davis, G., & Lothian, R. (2024, April 9). What’s all the racket? residents oppose pickleball courts at Park in Peterborough, ont. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/10402091/whats-all-the-racket-residents-oppose-pickleball-courts-at-park-in-peterborough-ont/

Kim, A. C. H., Ryu, J., Lee, C., Kim, K. M., & Heo, J. (2021). Sport Participation and Happiness Among Older Adults: A Mediating Role of Social Capital. Journal of happiness studies, 22(4), 1623–1641. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.

Heo, J., & Ryu, J. (2024). Maintaining Active Lifestyle Through Pickleball: A Qualitative Exploration of Older Pickleball Players. International journal of aging & human development, 98(4), 469–483. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.

Gross, K. (2023, July 8). Age, pickleball and assorted related thoughts. Medium. https://karengrossedu.medium.com/age-pickleball-and-assorted-related-thoughts-790ff132130d#:~:text=There%20are%20articles%20on%20the%20rising%20injuries%20among%20%E2%80%9Colder%E2%80%9D%20folks,everyone%2C%20not%20just%20pickleball%20players

Miller , C. (2023, September 26). Pickleball for older adults and the health benefits. Encompass Health Connect. https://blog.encompasshealth.com/2023/09/14/health-benefits-of-pickleball-for-older-adults/#:~:text=Why%20Pickleball%20for%20Older%20Adults,social%20engagement%20through%20friendly%20competition

Chaarani, J. (2024, April 5). Guelph Seniors’ Association can’t keep up with demand for Pickleball | CBC News. CBCnews. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/guelph-wellington-seniors-association-pickleball-popular-1.7163428