The History of Pickleball - A Sport Born from Humble Beginnings
Pickleball, a sport beloved by millions around the world, has a fascinating history that traces its origins to the unlikeliest of circumstances. In the mid-1960s, on Bainbridge Island, Washington, three friends – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum – found themselves in search of a game to entertain their families during a lazy summer afternoon. Armed with table tennis paddles, a perforated plastic ball, and a makeshift badminton court, they created what would become the foundation of pickleball. Some claim the name "pickleball" itself stems from a family dog named Pickles, who had a habit of running off with the ball during play. Over the years, the sport evolved and gained popularity, spreading from the Pacific Northwest to the...