This week I’ve been mulling over how much information can be gleaned from score alone when it comes to pickleball. It’s kind of gorgeous.
When the score is announced, three numbers are announced. For example, 1-0-2 means that the home team has 1 point, the away team 0; the last number indicates whose turn it is to serve ~ second in this case. Each team gets two serves*, and if the point is won, the same person will continue to serve. A loss results in the next player in the line of service.
Here are a couple of guidelines to think about that might confuse an onlooker from the outside.
- If the third number called out is 2, this could also mean first serve of the game. *First team is only allowed one service, beginning at 2 and not 1.
- As shorthand, 10 can be announced as 0, 11 as 1, and so on…
Unlike badminton, in which there is no notation for service, pickleball is easier to remember and recover the score and positioning.
If the home number is even, this means that the person serving is in their original position. (e.g. 2-0-2, home team maintains their positions at the beginning of the game. This occurs because the first two numbers are cumulative for both members of each team.
Are there any other relationships between the three numbers to be had?
I know for sure that the first two numbers declared are independent of each other.
The third number keeps track of which player is serving, but its parity carries no meaning.
I’ll come back to this post when I figure out any more from the standalone value or interrelated conclusions of the three numbers.