Friday Fun: Fun Facts About Pickleball

Where did pickleball originally come from?

It was invented in 1965 just outside Seattle on Bainbridge Island by three dads - Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum - who, as dads often do, decided to create some summertime fun for their kids.

Why do they call pickleball pickleball?

Joel Pritchard's wife, Joan, started to call their 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.” But according to Barney McCallum, they named the game after Pritchard's dog.

What is the brief history of pickleball?

In the summer of 1965, pickleball was founded by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Within days, Joan Pritchard had come up with the name “pickle ball”—a reference to the thrown-together leftover non-starters in the “pickle boat” of crew races.

FUN FACTS

Pickleball was invented in 1965 by three fathers from Bainbridge Island, Washington to entertain their kids. ...
Despite the name, pickleball has nothing to do with actual pickles. ...
Pickleball is almost equally as popular among men and women, with 53% of players being male and 47% being female.

Where is pickleball most popular in the world?

California has the highest number of places to play pickleball with 794 known locations. Florida has the 2nd most places to play pickleball with 770 locations, and Texas is third with 519 locations.

What is a pickleball ball called?

Instead of using the felt-covered balls that you'd find in tennis, pickleball uses plastic balls with perforated holes instead. Most would refer to this kind of a ball as a “wiffle ball.” These balls move through the air a lot cleaner than a tennis ball because they're a lot lighter and the holes create less drag.

What 3 sports was pickleball invented from?

Pickleball is a combination of three sports: tennis, badminton, and ping pong (table tennis).

What does dill mean in pickleball?

Dill Ball – A ball in play; a standard shot that has bounced once on the opponent's side. Dink – A shot struck softly so it drops into the opponent's non-volley zone and is often difficult to return.

Why is there a kitchen in pickleball?

The kitchen rule exists to prevent a player from standing at the net and smashing every hit. In other words, the kitchen zone prohibits players from volleying the ball within its boundaries while any part of their bodies is touching the surface of the kitchen.

I hope you have enjoyed learning a little bit about one of the fastest growing sports in the US today. I hope to meet some of you on the court one day!

16 comments

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Now I'm craving Dill pickles! Great post @Rex !

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lol...

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Great write up! Thanks @Rex!

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Those are fun facts! Thanks for sharing @Rex

I remember playing pickleball in school.

In the metro area where I live there is a lot of enthusiasm for pickleball, but also some controversy because the players take over public tennis courts.

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Correct, tennis players and pickleball players are typically not on the same page regarding who has priority on the use of the court.

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I'm with @Saralie S. - I have a craving for dill pickles now too! But great write up @Rex! I had no idea there was a a reference to "dill" in pickleball! So may fun facts!

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I did not until writing this post.

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So fun! My husband and I have been talking about giving Pickleball a try. I think this is the push I needed to get on this. Thanks for sharing! 🥒 (pretend that's a pickle...)

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@Amanda Barber, My fiancée and I joined a doubles pickleball league this year organized by Milwaukee Sports & Social. You and your husband should totally join as well!

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Wow, I hadn't heard of Milwaukee Sports & Social. Looks pretty awesome! We'll have to give it a try at the gym soon and see if a league is in the cards. Thanks for sharing!

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This summer I signed up to play pickleball weekly since I've heard so much about it, and want to see what all the buzz is about. Thanks for the history lesson on it @Rex !

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I've been playing quite a bit of pickleball lately and it's such a great way to get moving, blow off some steam, and just have fun. Thanks, @Rex for all the awesome fun facts.