The Rise of Pickleball

By Grace Thurman

In 1965, Joel Pritchard and his family laid in the summer heat with nothing to do. With other outdoor games like badminton and tennis, Pritchard knew that inventing a new racquet craze would lead him to great success. The new racquet sport was called Pickleball. 

Pickleball is a game now rising in popularity, with the main objective of using paddles to get a ball over the net and score off the other team. With its simplicity, the sport is perfect for younger and older generations, supporting the sport’s overall popularity around the world. 

Combining both elements of ping-pong and badminton, Joel Pritchard used equipment, ideas, and rules from each sport to create a fun family game for all ages. In 1972, Pritchard formed a corporation to protect his new clever creation. Many years later, pickleball is slowly making its way up the United States most favored sports, with many teams, competitions, and events solely based on the now beloved sport.

 With its reintroduction during COVID years, 2020 to 2022, the game reached its peak of popularity and recognition because of its easy set up, family oriented gameplay, and even its use of social distancing. Because of the way Pickleball is set up, the sport is played within about six feet from others. Participants could play as singles (one person on either side of the net), or doubles (two teams consisting of two players on either side of the net.) This specific way of gameplay made it easy for players to still interact with each other while maintaining a safe distance from others, making Pickleball seem like the perfect pastime during this time. Now, in 2024, the sport has a whopping 8.9 million players who now participate in the safe and social sport.  

At the first annual Paddle Battle hosted by Hope House, pickleball players were greeted with the opportunity to participate in tournaments and matches for leisure or competition. The Recreation Center at Living Hope Baptist Church served as perfect courts for the various pickleball matches and social gatherings within the center. Multiple food trucks like Tin Roof Coffee and A Taste of Europe also came out that day to keep the pickleball players well charged and ready for their games. To know more about the event and pickleball overall, I reached out to the pickleball coordinator for Living Hope Baptist Church, Kassie Smith. Being a former tennis player, Kassie Smith quickly picked up the sport about 10 months ago as something she could play with her kids. As time went on, she got hooked to the easygoing sport and now her family regularly go to Roland park to play leisurely or competitively. “There’s something for everyone in Pickleball” Kassie says, prompting her overall opinions on the beloved sport within Bowling Green.