Coastal sports scene heats up with pickleball, 'FlingGolf' and, maybe, french fries

Given the low-key nature of political discourse these days, you may have missed the enactment of the FY24 Bond and Capital Improvements Act.

Luckily for you, this column can rectify that omission.

That Act established the Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund and endowed it with a healthy chunk of, well, capital. In late June, its executor, the Delaware Tourism Office (DTO), announced grants totaling $11.3 million.

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There were four recipients, one of which was DE Turf on Route 1 in Frederica. It received $3 million to expand its facilities.

Despite its name, DE Turf has nothing to do with thoroughbred racing. Nor is it the place to go if you yearn for a surf and turf dinner.

Rather, it is a facility that hosts outdoor sporting events played on, you guessed it, turf; i.e., grass or, more appropriately, an artificial substitute like AstroTurf.

Although located in Kent County, that vast no-man’s-land between Upper Faster and Lower Slower Delaware, the grant to DE Turf is still indicative of the importance of sports tourism to the First State’s economy and the transformation of the sporting scene in the 21st century.

Interestingly (or suspiciously), the announcement of the grant was preceded by the opening of an upscale SpringHill Suites motel, diagonally across from DE Turf. In the interests of journalistic integrity, it should be noted that there is no spring nearby nor is that motel on a hill. There are, however, pricey suites available for rent on a daily basis.

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A pickleball court? Nah, a complex for Rehoboth Beach

DTO (although it was hardly repetitious) also awarded $2 million to Midway Motion & Fitness in Rehoboth to build a pickleball complex, as opposed to a simple court or two, consisting of 16 – count ‘em - playing surfaces.

Like other relatively new sports, pickleball requires specialized equipment to be played properly. Among those items is a pickleball paddle (PBP), not to be confused with PB&J or a PCP, although the latter might well recommend participation in such games as part of a weekly exercise regimen.

A mix of golf and lacrosse - meet FlingGolf

Pickleball is representative of a new wave of sports that have emerged this century, evolving from more traditional, and usually more sedate, predecessors. Among them is FlingGolf.

Contrary to various conspiracy theories, the “fling” in FlingGolf is not a “short period of enjoyment or wild behavior before a tranquil retirement,” nor is it “a short, spontaneous romantic interlude.”

Rather, it is a spinoff, in more ways than one, of contemporary golf, playable on any course without modifications. FlingGolf has found a home, among other places, at the American Classic Golf Club in Lewes, where it’s a “Friday night special”.

In FlingGolf, one uses a lacrosse-like “stick” to . . . you guessed it, fling a golf ball, in much the same way as discus throwers wind up their bodies to build momentum before letting it fly (the ball, not the stick). As in many other sports and activities, the longer, the better.

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'Breaking' as a sport? It must be time for the Summer Olympics

One indicator of the acceptance of a new sport is its inclusion as an event in the Olympics. To that point, has the ongoing Summer Olympics in Paris added any new sports? The answer is “Mais oui!”. In fact, there are nine new events, including “Breaking” and the “Mixed Team 35km Race Walk Relay”.

Breaking is, according to Wikipedia, “a battle style of dance that involves acrobatics and precise musicality”. It is my understanding that breaking is not simply a new version of the game of musical chairs, but we shall see.

The Mixed Team 35km Race Walk Relay is a long-distance event, different from running in that one foot must appear - and this is one area where appearances do justifiably count - to always be in contact with the ground.

The mix in question relates to gender, with men and women alternating on each leg – of the race, not their lower limbs.

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Want a local eating contest? It would of course have to be french fries

Finally, some mention should be made of the emergence of eating contests as sporting events. There’s now an International Federation of Competitive Eating (I kid you not) whose mission is to oversee table manners, so to speak.

In that vein, last month a local newspaper asked its readers: “What’s your favorite Boardwalk treat?” Surprisingly, pizza received a mere 9% of the votes, ice cream a respectable 29%, but the winner by far was (or were) french fries at 47%.

Coincidentally, a regional news website polled its subscribers regarding their favorite source of fries. A non-disclosure agreement forbids us from naming the business, but we can say that they soundly beat the competition.

Given all this public interest, some local entrepreneur may want to add establishing a coastal French Fry Eating Contest to his or her bucket list.

As the legendary Italian philosopher, Yogi Berra, once mused: “The future ain’t what it used to be”. And that would certainly seem to describe the emerging 21st century sports scene.

Mike Berger is a freelance writer and retired university administrator with a home in Lewes. Contact him at edadvice@comcast.net.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Coastal sports scene heats up with pickleball, 'FlingGolf' and, maybe, french fries