Equipment Paddles, ball | ||
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Platform Tennis (often called "paddle", despite other sports with similar names) is a racquet sport derived from tennis, developed in 1928 in Scarsdale, New York by James Cogswell and Fessenden Blanchard.
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Development
Cogswell and Fessenden had been seeking to develop a sport that could be played outdoors during the winter. The original platform they constructed was 48 feet (15 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) wide, dimensions that were dictated by the Cogswell property's steep slope and constrained by the presence of a large rock. The court was too small for volleyball and the overhanging foliage precluded badminton, two alternatives that Cogswell and Fessenden had considered, leaving a form of deck tennis as the only option that they deemed viable. Cogswell found paddle tennis equipment in a sporting goods store and started using it on their court after lowering the net that they had used to play deck tennis. As the balls they used tended to go out of play, fencing was added, rising from an initial height of 8 feet (2.4 m) up to 12 feet (3.7 m) as of 1932. The dimensions of 39 feet (12 m) by 18 feet (5.5 m) were expanded to the 44 feet (13 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m) size of a badminton court. As this left a narrow strip out of play between the court and the fencing, the fences were put into play and players were allowed to hit the ball after it hit off of the fence. The court dimensions expanded to their final size in 1932, making it equivalent to one-quarter the size of a standard tennis court. In 1935, Scarsdale's Fox Meadow Club hosted the first national championship.
The court
The court is one-third the size of a traditional tennis court and is surrounded by a chicken wire fence 12 feet (3.7 m) high. The taut fencing allows balls to be played off the wall and remain in play. Originally developed on land unsuitable for traditional tennis courts, such as along hills, the space under the platform allows for the installation of heating equipment that, together with lighting, can allow for year-long play around the clock, even in cold weather. Courts in warm-weather locations are more likely to be constructed on level ground, as the need for clearing snow and ice is obviated. The deck is 60 feet (18 m) long by 30 feet (9.1 m) in width. The court measures 44 feet (13 m) in length by 22 feet (6.7 m) in width and is divided by a net that is kept taut at a height of 34 inches (860 mm) at its center and 37 inches (940 mm) at either end.
The ball and paddle
A spongy ball measuring 2.5 inches (64 mm) in diameter is used. The ball can be served overhand. The ball is struck with a paddle that extends 18 inches (460 mm) and which may have up to 87 holes measuring no more than 3⁄8 inch (9.5 mm) in diameter to improve its aerodynamics.