Pickleball and more at the Fessenden Center

by Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy

the start of an intuitive painting series; a monthly adult luncheon; bingo; and learning to tie dye. A running club is starting as is a men’s breakfast on one Friday and a ladies’ breakfast on another Friday.

Fitness classes offered at the Fessenden Center are $3 per class or $15 per month for those under the age of 55. For Dare County residents and property owners who are 55 and older, fitness classes are free.

Summer camps offered for young people include Camp Champs for ages 3 to 5; swimming safety for ages 5 to 11; Hatteras sailing explore, ages 8 to 12; volleyball for girls grades 3 to 6 and 7 to 9, slam dunk basketball ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 12; and summer cheer camp for ages 6 through 12. Numerous other camp offerings are full. Sign up at register@dcpr. recdesk.gov. The online registration is easy to use.

The activity room is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Use of equipment is available to residents and property owners during these times unless a class or activity is using the room.

All indoor activities are for Dare County residents and property owners only. Outdoor facilities are open for all to enjoy.

The Fessenden Center is located at 46830 N.C. Highway 12 in Buxton and can be reached at 252-475-5650 or Fessenden@darenc.gov.

About Pickleball

The paddles are a little larger than one for ping pong and a little smaller than a tennis racket.

The paddles are various in color and light-weight.

It’s the fastest growing sport.

Pickleball can be played as doubles or singles. The court is smaller than a tennis court. In fact, outside at the Fessenden Center, two paddleball courts fit into one tennis court. The nets are lower, too.

On both sides of the court, lines are drawn parallel to the net and seven feet back. This area is usually called “the kitchen.”

Points are only scored by the serving team.

Serving rotates but in a different way from volleyball. Both servers on a team serve until the team under each server commits a fault and the serve moves to the other side. After winning a point, the server switches sides. Serves must fall in the court diagonally across from the serving court.

Games are normally played to 11 points with a win by two points. Tournament games may be 15 or 21, with win by two points.

As to play, the ball, which is like a whif- fle ball, must bounce once in the opposite court and once in the server’s court before a volley (hitting the ball before a bounce) is initiated. That kitchen area is a non-volley zone.

The Fessenden-Hatteras Island connection

Canadian-born Reginald Aubrey Fessenden (1866-1932) is regarded as a radio pioneer and inventor. He taught at several universities and worked for corporations in the United States and Bermuda.

In 1900, the United States Weather Bureau contracted with Fessenden to develop a system to transmit the bureau’s weather forecasts.

After some initial experiments, in December 1900, Fessenden transferred his experiments to Roanoke

Island. Towers 50-feet tall were erected on Roanoke Island, Hatteras Island and Cape Henry. Fessenden refined his continuous wave transmission and signal reception.

In March 1902, Fessenden sent a 127word voice message from the Cape Hatteras transmission tower to Roanoke Island, some 48 miles to the north. Voiceradio was started.

Fessenden and the Weather Bureau fought over patents. He resigned his contract and started National Electric Signaling Company, to which he transferred all of his patents. From a station at Brant Rock, Mass. on Christmas Eve 1906, he initiated the first public broadcast of voice and music over radios.

The Fessenden Center is situated at the 1902 site of Fessenden’s Cape Hatteras tower.