Pickleball Comes To Paonia...
...on Brainbridge Island in the Puget Sound area of Washington. When Congressmen Joel Pritchard, William Bell and Barney McCallum came home from a game of golf one day to find their kids bored and restless, they set out to create a game that would engage them through the lazy days of summer.
The game started on an asphalt badminton court in Pritchard’s backyard and the dads quickly improvised with a Wiffle-type ball and wooden rackets that resembled ping-pong paddles and they lowered the net to tennis level.
There are two stories regarding how the game got its name; the first being the dog story which starts with, “Pickles, you bring that back here right now!”
The whines of “I’m bored” had been replaced by kids yelling at the dog. Pickles, the Pritchard’s cocker spaniel took an interest in the new game, particularly the ball. When he could get away with it, Pickles would fetch the ball and hide in the bushes, which some say, let to the Pickleball name.
Joan Pritchard, wife of Congressman Joel Pritchard, said that the game reminded her of the pickle boat (in crew), where oarsmen are picked from the leftovers of the other boats and, hence, the game was subsequently named Pickle Ball. She says the dog was actually named after the game.
Pickleball has three unique attributes that you won’t find in any other racquet sport: the serve position, the double-bounce rule and the no-volley zone.
Serve position- An inconvenient tree in the Pritchard’s yard made it necessary for one side to serve with one foot inside the court. To keep the game fair, both sides were allowed to have one foot across the baseline when serving. The tree is no longer part of every pickleball game, but this unique service rule is.
Double-bounce rule-In the early days the server had a huge advantage. The player receiving the serve would have to wait for the ball to bounce. The server, meanwhile, could be in position for a quick return off the volley. The three founding fathers added the double bounce rule to take this advantage away. Now, the receiving team and the server must both hit their first shots off the bounce and then the volley begins.
No-volley Zone-To make pickleball a game of finesse and strategy rather than just raw power the first dads instituted a no-volley zone in the seven feet on either side of the net. Within this zone, the ball must bounce before it is hit.
Official courts are nice but not necessary to the game. Pickleball can be played indoors on basketball or volleyball courts and outdoors on just about any hard surface.
Game score is 21 points for doubles and 15 for singles. Serving is made with a side swipe, not an overhead and receiving team must stay behind the center line.
The game caught on quickly because it can be played by all ages, required minimal equipment and costs and was easy to learn. This spring Pickleball comes to Paonia with the opening of the first pickleball court in the North Fork Valley and you’ll find it in Apple Valley Park.
The game started on an asphalt badminton court in Pritchard’s backyard and the dads quickly improvised with a Wiffle-type ball and wooden rackets that resembled ping-pong paddles and they lowered the net to tennis level.
There are two stories regarding how the game got its name; the first being the dog story which starts with, “Pickles, you bring that back here right now!”
The whines of “I’m bored” had been replaced by kids yelling at the dog. Pickles, the Pritchard’s cocker spaniel took an interest in the new game, particularly the ball. When he could get away with it, Pickles would fetch the ball and hide in the bushes, which some say, let to the Pickleball name.
Joan Pritchard, wife of Congressman Joel Pritchard, said that the game reminded her of the pickle boat (in crew), where oarsmen are picked from the leftovers of the other boats and, hence, the game was subsequently named Pickle Ball. She says the dog was actually named after the game.
Pickleball has three unique attributes that you won’t find in any other racquet sport: the serve position, the double-bounce rule and the no-volley zone.
Serve position- An inconvenient tree in the Pritchard’s yard made it necessary for one side to serve with one foot inside the court. To keep the game fair, both sides were allowed to have one foot across the baseline when serving. The tree is no longer part of every pickleball game, but this unique service rule is.
Double-bounce rule-In the early days the server had a huge advantage. The player receiving the serve would have to wait for the ball to bounce. The server, meanwhile, could be in position for a quick return off the volley. The three founding fathers added the double bounce rule to take this advantage away. Now, the receiving team and the server must both hit their first shots off the bounce and then the volley begins.
No-volley Zone-To make pickleball a game of finesse and strategy rather than just raw power the first dads instituted a no-volley zone in the seven feet on either side of the net. Within this zone, the ball must bounce before it is hit.
Official courts are nice but not necessary to the game. Pickleball can be played indoors on basketball or volleyball courts and outdoors on just about any hard surface.
Game score is 21 points for doubles and 15 for singles. Serving is made with a side swipe, not an overhead and receiving team must stay behind the center line.
The game caught on quickly because it can be played by all ages, required minimal equipment and costs and was easy to learn. This spring Pickleball comes to Paonia with the opening of the first pickleball court in the North Fork Valley and you’ll find it in Apple Valley Park.