At its core, pickleball was created because, like many parents, its inventors found themselves searching for an answer to their children’s cries of summer boredom. It started in 1965 on Bainbridge Island when Joel Pritchard, a former Washington congressman, and Bill Bell, a businessman, returned to the Pritchards’ house from a round of golf to find their children idling around. Unsatisfied with the lack of activity, Pritchard and Bell went in search of badminton equipment, since the property already had a court. However, when the pair couldn’t find enough rackets, they improvised with ping pong paddles and plastic balls. The Local Origin of Pickleball by Carli Ricker (October 3, 2019) South Sound Magazine
CBS News Early Show 2010:
Taryn Winter Brill delved into "PickleBall" craze and got some lessons in Central Fla.
- USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) What is Pickleball?
The USA Pickleball Association is the national governing body for the sport of pickleball in the US and provides players with official rules, tournaments, rankings and promotional materials.
Book: History of Pickleball: More Than 50 Years of Fun! by Jennifer Lucore (daughter/17 time USAPA National Champion) and Beverly Youngren (mother/one of the first USAPA Ambassadors)
Video: Olympic Video News - Pickleball Birthplace Bainbridge Island
