by Caroline Bredekamp for the Preston Times
As the weather has warmed and people are spending more and more time outside, one activity that has been enjoyed is the game of Pickleball. Groups have been spotted utilizing the tennis court area at Westside Park.
Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two or four players use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch-high (0.86 m) net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is played indoors and outdoors. It was invented in 1965 as a children’s backyard game in the United States, on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. In 2021, pickleball was named the official state sport of Washington. Aspects of the sport resemble tennis and table tennis played on a doubles badminton court, but pickleball has specific scoring rules, paddles, balls and court lines. After its introduction in 1965, pickleball became a popular sport in the Pacific Northwest and gradually grew in popularity elsewhere. For four years in a row, 2021 through 2024, the sport was named the fastest-growing sport in the United States by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.[3] By 2024, it was estimated there were 19.8 million participants in the United States, a 311% growth since 2021.
The game was created in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, at the summer home of Joel Pritchard, who later served in the United States Congress and as Washington’s lieutenant governor. Pritchard and two of his friends, Barney McCallum and Bill Bell, are credited with devising the game and establishing the rules. According to Joan Pritchard, Joel Pritchard’s wife, “The name of the game became Pickle Ball after I said it reminded me of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.” Similarly, the game of pickleball was created from leftover equipment from several sports: a badminton court, paddleball paddles, a wiffle ball and a net height like that of tennis.
Pickleball players are called “picklers”. The sport is known for its playful spirit and social nature, and fans are sometimes referred to as “pickleheads.”
