Education

What is Pickleball?

Pickleball is a paddle and court sport played on a badminton-sized court with a low net like tennis. It is played with what looks like a wiffle ball, but they are specially made for the sport. The paddles are twice the size of ping-pong paddles and some say it’s like playing ping-pong but ON the table.

Pickleball can be played indoors or outdoors. Beginners find it easy to learn, and as you develop as a player, the games can become very fast-paced and competitive at the advanced levels.

Pickleball can be played as singles or doubles just like in tennis. It’s a game that all ages can enjoy and is popular in school P.E. programs and in adult living communities because it is easy teach and equipment is generally inexpensive.

The story behind the name

(credit to USA Pickleball)

The origin of the game’s name is very interesting, especially since no pickles are used. Accounts of how the name originated differ. According to Joel Pritchard’s wife (Joan), she started calling the game pickleball because “The combination of different sports reminded me of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.” However, according to Barney McCallum, the game was officially named after the Pritchards’ dog Pickles who would chase the ball and run off with it. According to McCallum, “The Pritchards had a dog named Pickles, and you’re having fun at a party, right? So anyways, what the hell, let’s just call it pickleball.”

Others claim both accounts may be true. In the early years, no official name was assigned to the game. However, a year or two after the game was invented, the Pritchards’ purchased a cocker spaniel and named it Pickles. As the game progressed, an official name was needed and “pickleball” was it.

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