It's interesting history how pickleball got started. In 1965,
Congressman Joel Pritchard returned home to Bainbridge
Island (near Seattle) and found his family sitting around bored.
He and his friend, Bill Bell, went into their garage to get the
badminton equipment and could not find it, so they grabbed
ping pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. ey started
playing with the net at 60 inches like in badminton, but noticed
the ball bounced really well on the cement, so they lowered
the net to 36 inches. Another friend, Barney McCallum, came
over and together they created the rules, relying heavily on
badminton. Today, many people all over are enjoying the
game. Next month I'll have information on how pickleball got
its name.
We had our monthly tournament on Saturday, July 1,
which was a lot of fun. ank you to all who participated in
the tournament, brought snacks, helped set up and came to
watch. A special thank you to our president, Scott Ross, for
always making it run smoothly and for everything you do for
pickleball. You are appreciated.
Congratulations to the winners of the day! Denise Groll won
the women's doubles with 28 total points, and for the men's
doubles, Gregg Ross came in first with 33 total points. In the
mixed competition, Amy Robinson won the women's with 29
total points, and Chuck Gordon had 33 total points to win the
men's.
Until next time, stay cool, enjoy the summer and keep
pickling.
Pickleball By Jamie Calvert
| THE COLONY NEWS | AUGUST 2023 | 37
