The Origins of Pickleball
This sport has hit America like a tornado and picked up speed across the nation. In fact, it has become the nation’s fastest-growing sport. In 1965, three dads created the sport of pickleball by chance. It was a hot day in the middle of the summer in Washington, and the dads and their families were bored. They didn’t have enough tennis rackets so they used ping-pong paddles for a game of badminton. Soon after, they further enhanced the game by creating rules and changing features of the game from badminton. The dads created something original and fun for their families to play.
Thus, Pickleball was born.
Now, how did pickleball get its name?
Pickleball is actually a reference to the local pickle boat races the family would watch. Joel Prichard’s wife, Joan, was the one to come up with that name.
Newspapers began publishing about the new sport in the 1970s. The United States Amateur Pickleball Association was established in 1984, which placed recognition for pickleball on the national stage. By 1990, the sport was being played in all states. Eventually, an official playbook was created, and the USA Pickleball Association was established in 2005.
What is Pickleball?
It is a sport that combines three: badminton, tennis, and ping-pong. Two or four players can play it (similar to tennis), and the game is played on a badminton-sized court. Instead of tennis, though, the players use wiffleballs, and they use paddles.
If you want to know what pickleball is, as a visual learner, you can always go to your local court to see players. Players play at courts for fun and competition, and sometimes, you can find tournaments. It is very similar to tennis and badminton but you start off with an underhand and serve diagonally across the court. The number of courts is increasing as well, and it can also be played indoors and outdoors.
The Rise of Pickleball
But how did pickleball grow so fast?
Though its fame was steadily increasing over the past decades, the sport exploded in popularity in 2020. When you are asking, what is pickleball, it is a fun and unique sport that takes from sports like tennis but it more simple in comparison. This is a part of the reason that this sport has gained such traction. The simplicity attracts people of all ages, young and old, who play both recreationally and competitively.
The original goal of America’s fastest-growing sport has not been lost by its founding members. The three dads saw their families were bored and created something that was engaging, social, and most of all – fun.
