Page 80 - The Hunt - Winter 2022

(Clockwise from below right) Spectators and contestants says warm and mingle as finalists Cindy Prendergast and Jaclyn Williamson battle outside.
Spend a few minutes talking paddle tennis with Cindy Prendergast, and you’d never guess she’s in the American Platform Tennis Hall of Fame. “She is so modest,” Podolsky says.
Prendergast has won national championships and countless tournaments over the past quarter century. She’s a legend in the area and also a tremendous tennis player, dating back to her time in high school and at Gettysburg College. But there’s something about paddle that’s kept her playing for
so long. “I can still compete at high levels
in paddle,” she says. “There is a natural
camaraderie that’s different than tennis. On the court, you want to win. When you come off the court, people are in great spirits.”
The sport continues to grow in the area. Prendergast reports that DuPont Country Club is putting in four new courts. And as more tennis pros are playing paddle, they can teach members at their clubs. “When I started, I learned from friends,” Prendergast says.
Paddle tennis is also popular in Chicago, Boston and Pittsburgh. There are two New Jersey leagues, and smatterings in other cities. Just don’t compare it to pickleball—at least in front of a paddle player. “It’s more strategic,
and you move around more,” Podolsky says. “It takes years to master it.”
As soon as the temperatures drop, people start thinking about paddle. They won’t play in blinding snow storms or freezing rain, but they’ll settle for just about every other condition, especially since the court surfaces are heated to ward off ice buildup. It’s not uncommon for players to do some shoveling before a match. “After Labor Day, people are itching for the temperatures to go down,” Snyder says.
And the fun to heat up.
Visit maptapaddle.com.
78 THE HUNT MAGAZINE winter 2022-23