Editorial: Overcoming differences by having fun

As the Chicago area proclaims to have the largest concentration of Polish people this side of Krakow, Elgin has one of the largest concentrations of Laotians in the United States.

The Lao community is one rich with colorful tradition and ceremony, and more than 20 years ago, the Lao American Organization of Elgin was founded in order to preserve Lao culture, customs, language, religion and arts, and to help both the young and old among them with whatever needs arise.

This type of supportive community has been a boon to a group of people that fled Laos for their lives during the Vietnam War, but in some ways, it has made them somewhat cloistered. Living within such a supportive community whose goals include preserving traditions might make one less inclined to venture out among those to whom their culture and language might seem exotic.

Our Elena Ferrarin wrote for Saturday about something that might be changing that, a cultural bridge called ... pickleball.

Douangchay Hedstron has been pushing tennis-loving Lao seniors to give the craze a try. You can play pickup games at the Centre of Elgin, the city's recreation complex, where pickleball took hold in October.

Sure, the effort is partly about ensuring that aging Lao residents get exercise, but it's also about taking down cultural barriers.

"I have been telling everyone about pickleball and posting photos," Hedstrom told Ferrarin. "I am very happy because they started coming. Sometimes it's hard for them to do things with the American community. I am proud of the older generation that they are coming out."

Part of Hedstron's job is to encourage seniors to overcome their anxieties about language barriers.

The effort is working. As Ferrarin notes, veterans of the game - a mashup of tennis and Ping-Pong played with a racquetball racquet-sized paddle - are eager to teach newcomers how to play.

And because the winning team splits up to play the next game, newcomers are exposed to other players - and the more experienced players don't have an automatic advantage.

The police department is aware that some in the Lao community are skittish about interacting with them. Cmdr. Ana Lalley noted that several cops are avid pickleball players and would like to jump in.

It's easy for any of us to become so wrapped up in our work or church group or politics that we never form relationships with people unlike us.

Perhaps pickleball - or another fun activity - could be the great unifier we could all use today.