In pickleball, a sport for all ages

Most people like pickles. Whether it's genuine dill pickles or kosher, sweet, bread and butter, or Gherkin ... nearly all have a favorite pickle. But for a growing number of Cloquet and Carlton County residents, their favorite pickle would be a game called pickleball.

And it has nothing to do with pickled cucumbers.

Pickleball is a relatively new game. It originated in 1965 in the backyard of a home in a suburb of Seattle called Bainbridge Island. Several gents came home after a round of golf and their children were restless and wanted an outdoor game to play. They had a badminton court set up but couldn't find a shuttlecock to play the game. They improvised by taking a piece of fabric board from a nearby shed and cutting out paddles, lowering the net, and knocking a wiffle ball over the net to each other. This was the beginning and birth of pickleball.

The game combines elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis.

There are groups of Cloquet residents that play on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the Cloquet Armory and at the Churchill school tennis courts, which are also striped for pickleball.

Julie Johanson is a regular participant.

"I really like it. It's movement and exercise and a great sport that I can enjoy with my spouse," Johanson said. "I've played it in Sedona, Ariz. and even in the Dominican Republic while we were on vacation."

The game can be played in a singles or doubles format. The scoring is a bit tricky but not terribly complicated. Johanson said that sometimes they'll even play with three on a team. There is also a group in Moose Lake that plays in the hockey arena.

"I am not particularly athletic and yet I enjoy this game and the camaraderie we have playing amongst friends," she added.

Johanson described a resourceful arrangement in Sedona, where one can call the community education office to obtain a special code for unlocking a box conveniently located by pickleball courts, and pull out the net, balls and rackets for their playing pleasure. When done, the player puts the equipment back into the box and notifies the community education office that everything is returned and secured.

An official pickleball court is 20 feet by 44 feet, or about half the size of a tennis court. The net is 34 inches high in the middle.

The name of the game arose from the sport of rowing so popular in the Seattle area, where individuals left over after choosing rowing teams are assigned to the last boat, or pickleboat. The game is similarly an assemblage of several games and sports into one. From this humble beginning, pickleball has grown very fast in popularity, particularly in school physical education classes, prisons and retirement communities.

For more information, contact your local community education office. It's an inexpensive sport to play ... and a lot of fun.

Some history of the game

From USA Pickleball Association

Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, Washington. Three dads – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum — whose kids were bored with their usual summertime activities — are credited for creating the game. Pickleball has evolved from original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout the U.S. and Canada. The game is growing internationally as well, with many European and Asian countries adding courts.

Why “pickleball?”

Pickleball has a very interesting name, especially since no pickles are used. Accounts of how the name originated differ.

1. According to Joel Pritchard’s wife (Joan), she started calling the game pickleball because “the combination of different sports reminded me of the pickleboat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.”

2. According to Barney McCallum, the game was officially named after the Pritchards’ dog Pickles, who would chase the ball and run off with it. According to McCallum, “The Pritchards had a dog named Pickles, and you’re having fun at a party, right? So anyways, what the hell, let’s just call it pickleball.”

Others claim both accounts may actually be true. In the early years, no official name was assigned to the game. A year or two after the game was invented, the Pritchards purchased a cocker spaniel and named it Pickles. As the game progressed, an official name was needed and “pickleball” was it.