Shortly after the game was invented, some of its inventors founders and their friends brought pickleball to Hawaii, where the game became known as pukaball. They did, however, discover a third possibility: Bill Bell claimed that he had named the game because he enjoyed hitting the ball in a way that would put his opponent in a pickle. Jennifer Lucore and Beverly Youngren, authors of the book, History of Pickleball: More than 50 Years of Fun!, say that they could not conclusively determine whether the game was named for the dog or the dog was named for the game. Representatives of USA Pickleball claim that research on their part has confirmed that the dog Pickles was born after the game had already been named. They said the confusion arose when a reporter interviewing the Pritchards in the early 1970s decided it would be easier for readers to relate to the dog rather than a pickle boat. The Pritchards stated that the dog came along after the game had already been named, and it was the dog that was named for the game of pickleball. Pritchard and two of his friends, Barney McCallum and Bill Bell, are credited with devising the game and establishing the rules.Īccording 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." Other sources state that the name "pickleball" was derived from the name of the Pritchards' family dog, Pickles. 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. Pickleball is also growing in popularity outside the United States: there are several other national and international competitions. Open Tournament, along with two professional tours and one professional league. There are now thousands of pickleball tournaments throughout the United States, including the US National Championships and the U.S. The growing popularity of the sport has been attributed to its short learning curve, its appeal to a wide range of ages and fitness levels, and its low startup costs. In 2021, 20, the sport was named the fastest-growing sport in the United States by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, and by 2023 it was estimated to have over 4.8 million players. To minimize any advantage the serving or receiving side might have at the beginning of the game, the ball must be allowed to bounce once on each side of the net before players are permitted to volley the ball (that is, to hit the ball before it has bounced on their side of the net).īetween 19, pickleball became a popular sport in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, and also began to grow in popularity elsewhere. The minimal amount of bounce, the non-volley zones, and underhand serve combine to give the game a dynamic pace and a choice of hitting strategies, ranging from soft dink shots that stay within the two non-volley zones to powerful drive shots and overhead smash shots. The hard plastic ball used in pickleball produces significantly less bounce than softer, flexible balls such as tennis balls. All serves are made with an underhand stroke. The official rules specify side-out scoring, meaning that only the player or team serving can score a point. There are two 7-foot areas (2.1 m) on either side of the net, known as the non-volley zones, where the ball may be hit with the paddle only after it has bounced. The rules, and the position of lines on the court, are specific to pickleball. The court is the size of a doubles badminton court (less than a third the size of a tennis court), and the paddle is larger than the one used in table tennis. The pickleball court and the manner of play resemble tennis in some respects and ping-pong (table tennis) in others. In 2022, pickleball was named the official state sport of Washington. Pickleball was invented in 1965 as a children's backyard game in the United States, on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. Opponents on either side of the net hit the ball back and forth until one side commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor racket/paddle sport in which two players (singles), or four players (doubles), hit a perforated hollow plastic ball over a 36-inch-high (0.91 m) net using solid-faced paddles. Plastic pickleball, composite or wooden paddle, and net Yes, separate singles, doubles, & mixed doubles International Federation of Pickleball ġ965, Bainbridge Island, Washington, U.S.
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