The Mountbatten District recently gave residents “silent pickleballs” made of foam to encourage residents to reduce noise during exercise and play so as not to disturb the neighbors. The person behind the proposal turned out to be Chen Baoling, a retired sales manager who also lives in Mountbatten.
Pickleball is a sport that uses a racket to hit the ball. It combines the characteristics of tennis, badminton and table tennis. It has become a craze in the local area in recent years because it is easy to learn and not particularly intense.
Chen Baoling (59 years old) has always loved sports. She has practiced Muay Thai, boxing, and also played badminton. In 2017, she was invited by relatives to experience pickleball for the first time at the Umei Community Gym, and soon fell in love with this relatively gentle ball game.
However, she also understands why the surrounding residents are dissatisfied with the “snap” sound that often comes from the Mountbatten Public Stadium near her home.
“I’m actually used to this kind of sound, but the neighbors may not be able to accept it. Especially now that there are more and more pickleball enthusiasts, the noise problem will indeed cause trouble… I love sports, but I also like peace and quiet, and I don’t want to disturb the neighbors when I exercise.”
Further reading
Volunteers who understand eight languages and dialects see the senior center as their second home
Step out of your comfort zone and devote yourself to charity after school
Chen Baoling didn’t know there were foam pickleballs on the market before. In April last year, she accidentally fell at home and had to rest and recover at home for several months, during which she gradually worked hard to do home exercises.
“It was during that period that I discovered that there were foam balls on the market, so I bought them and tried them on the wall. Only then did I realize that they made no noise and could be used for fitness.”
After recovering, she not only shared her “new discoveries” with her neighbors, but also made suggestions during Mountbatten District Councilor Ng Sze-kee’s home visit last October to encourage more residents to use “silent balls” to play pickleball.
The councilor then started to promote, united with Mountbatten grassroots organizations, and was sponsored by the People’s Association Community Development Fund to present “silent pickleballs” made of foam to more than 120 residents of different ages in the Mountbatten district, and invited them to try it out at the community club.
Chen Baoling was also present that day to introduce the characteristics of foam balls. She also showed reporters on the spot a standard ball made of hard plastic and a foam ball with a soft hitting sound, and discussed the different playing styles of the two balls with a reporter from Lianhe Zaobao. After several rounds, the reporter clearly felt that the elasticity of the foam ball was greater than that of the standard ball, making it more difficult to control when hitting, but the noise was much smaller.
Chen Baoling is deeply gratified to see that her suggestions are welcomed by many people. She said: “For players participating in pickleball competitions, standard balls are of course still the first choice. But if the purpose of playing pickleball is mainly for sports and social interaction, then foam balls can be an alternative choice that can not only exercise but also reduce noise and not disturb people.”
