In 1965, three dads of bored teens invented a new game to keep their kids involved after they complained of boredom on a family vacation to Bainbridge Island, Washington.
In short order, Joel and his wife, Joan Pritchard who had a home on the island, along with their friends, Bill and Tina Bell had borrowed a whiffle ball they found in the garage and cobbled together a game that was part badminton, part ping pong and part tennis. They convinced another neighbor, Barney McCallum to come up with a new sturdy paddle for them and the game of Pickleball was born.
Today, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, pickleball was the fastest growing sport in America in 2023, for the third year in a row. They estimate that at least 36.5 million people played pickleball at least once in this past year and that would include 50 or more people in the Lebanon area.
For more on this story, see the LCR.
