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EVERYONE IS PLAYING PICKLEBALL BECAUSE IT'S FUN

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KINGDOM KIDS

KINGDOM KIDS

By Kathy Fox

PHOTOS BY SHANA UPPERMANN AND KATHY FOX

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America for the third year in a row according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. The 2023 Association of Pickleball Professionals Tour’s Pickleball Report states there are 36.5 million pickleball players in the United States or 14% of the adult population. If you are not familiar with the sport, it can be played indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court. Pickleball is a fun sport combining the elements of tennis, badminton, and pingpong. It is played with a paddle and a plastic ball with holes and can be played as singles or doubles. It’s easy to learn for beginners, the rules are simple, and it’s slower-paced than tennis, but can develop into a fast-paced competitive game for experienced players.

In 1965, three dads invented the game to give their bored youngsters something to do during the summer. They started with a badminton court, some ping-pong paddles, and a plastic whiffle ball-like ball and this was literally the beginning of pickleball. Since that time, pickleball has evolved into a popular sport throughout North America with more than 53,000 USA Pickleball Memberships at the end of 2021, and pickleball has seen growth internationally with numerous courts being added in European and Asian countries.

Williamson County Parks & Recreation has also experienced the pickleball craze as the popularity of the sport continues to expand locally. Roy Wayne, Manager at Longview Recreation Center in Spring Hill, said, “It’s exciting to see how popular pickleball has become and it keeps growing. We have four indoor and eight outdoor courts and it’s becoming a challenge to balance the court times between basketball, volleyball, and badminton due to the popularity of pickleball.” Kerri Hudson, Public Information Coordinator with Williamson County Parks and Recreation, added, “We also have indoor pickleball courts in Brentwood, Fairview, Franklin, and Nolensville and outdoor pickleball courts in Brentwood, College Grove, and Franklin. We reopened a portion of the old Maryland Farms YMCA facility this past fall to run several different racquet sports and added indoor and outdoor pickleball courts to the location.

Shana Upperman and Doug Keener are both pickleball instructors at Longview Recreation Center as well as enthusiastic players. Upperman explains, “Pickleball started here in 2015 at the rec center when Sharon and Joe Gibbs asked the management to start it and then it was offered only once a week. Fast forward, now we have pickleball almost every day with 30 to 40 players showing up. There is open play six times weekly and clinics for all skill levels, leagues, and tournaments throughout the year.” Additionally, regular play and tournament scores are recorded in the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating or DUPR, which is the most accurate and only global rating system in pickleball.

When Keener moved to Middle Tennessee he had already been playing pickleball in Florida and was a huge fan of the sport. “I've been playing pickleball for 10 years now. It is a sport for all ages and is absolutely perfect for seniors because it gets you off the couch and gets you moving again,” he said. “It’s good for your body and your brain because you're having to think about every shot, where it's going, and where you are going to return it. Pickleball is something I can have fun playing anywhere. That’s why there are so many people playing it. And it’s really easy to learn.”

HISTORY OF THE NAME

If you are wondering how the name pickleball came to be, the National Governing Body for USA Pickleball, explains:

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. Many years later, as the sport grew, a controversy ensued when a few neighbors said they were there when Joan named the game after the family dog, Pickles. Joan and the Pritchard family have held fast for decades and the dog came along a few years later and was named after the game.

It’s an undisputed fact that pickleball began, and was also named, in the summer of 1965 by Joan Pritchard. If Pickles was around then, the dog story could be true. If Pickles wasn’t born until after 1965, the dog story would be confirmed as just a funny newspaper interview hoax later confessed by Joel Pritchard.

Proof of when Pickles was born could help resolve the twostory name debate. As the official magazine of pickleball, we decided to dig up the past and report the truth, regardless of the venerable feathers being ruffled. We looked for dog records, uncovered photos, and interviewed several people who were there from 1965-1970. Based on evidence, we learned that the dog was born in 1968 three years after pickleball was first played and named. In other words, the Pritchard family story stands true that pickleball was not named after the dog, but rather in reference to the local pickle boat races.

If you are looking for a great exercise for your mind and body, then pickleball is for you. It’s something that’s fun to do with your friends and a good workout for all ages. For additional information on pickleball playing opportunities visit wcparksandrec.com and stop by Longview Recreation Center in Spring Hill or one of the other centers nearby to give pickleball a try this winter. It’s a smashing good time!

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