Pickleball courts are popping up in many different retirement communities for active seniors throughout the United States, Canada and other parts of the world. Pickleball doesn't have a long history, but it does involve a blending of rules and techniques from other sports like badminton. If you've ever wondered how pickleball got its name or where the sport came from, you'll be surprised to learn about the game's unique origins.
Origins
According to the USA Pickleball Association, Joel Pritchard, a Washington state congressman, a businessman named Bill Bell, and their friends Barney McCallum and Jordan Steranka invented pickleball and its rules at Pritchard's house on Bainbridge Island, Washington, during the summer of 1965. Pritchard and Bell were looking for something that everyone in their families could do, and Pritchard's property had an old badminton court. Because the men couldn't find a full set of badminton rackets, they modified some damaged rackets and used a perforated plastic ball like a whiffle ball. Later, Pritchard and his friends made wooden paddles for the game and lowered the badminton net to 36 inches. The rules were similar to badminton, but ensured that the whole family could play.
The strange name pickleball came from the Pritchards' cocker spaniel named Pickles, says Pickleball Canada. The dog frequently chased after the ball and ran away with it while the families were playing the new game. At first, the game was dubbed "Pickle's Ball," but was later shortened to "pickleball."
Development
Pritchard built a permanent pickleball court in 1967 in his backyard in Seattle, and formed a corporation for the new sport in 1972, says the USA Pickleball Association. During the 1970s, pickleball developed from a backyard family game into a paddle-court sport with official rules, notes Pickleball Canada. In 1976, the first pickleball tournament was held in Washington, with mostly college tennis players who weren't familiar with pickleball, and 1984 marked the publication of the first pickleball rulebook, the introduction of the first composite pickleball paddles and the formation of the USA Pickleball Association. By 1990, pickleball had spread throughout the United States, and the Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah included the sport in their 2003 competitions.
Significance
In 2008, pickleball was included in the National Senior Games Champion Festival in Rhode Island, and the sport developed 420 different public pickleball-court venues throughout North America, according to the USA Pickleball Association. The first National Tournament facilitated by the USA Pickleball Association was held in Arizona in 2009, with nearly 400 competing players from the United States and Canada.
Modern Day
Pickleball continues to grow in popularity both as a competitive sport and a fun pastime. Although pickleball is perhaps most popular among older adults and active seniors, pickleball courts are emerging in parks, camps, YMCAs, and community and recreation centers, according to Pickleball Canada. Pickleball is also played in some physical education programs in school systems, and even in correctional facilities. As of 2008, there were 1,500 individual pickleball courts open to the public in Canada and the United States, notes the USA Pickleball Association.
Member Comments