History of Pickleball on Bainbridge Island
The game started during the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island at the home of former State Representative Joel Pritchard with two of his friends, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, who found their families bored one Saturday afternoon. They attempted to set up badminton, but no one could find the shuttlecock. They improvised with a wiffleball lowered the badminton net, and fabricated paddles of plywood from a nearby shed. Wikipedia reference.
On Bainbridge Island today no one actually knows how many pickleball courts exist because the courts are nearly all privately owned. The game grew as a family sport and residents setup their own courts by adding single court asphalt areas or using existing sport court space. Many painted lines on the streets and played in the evenings with their kids and neighbors. The game grew in popularity on Bainbridge but did not experience the sensational growth seen in other parts of the country with large multi-court facilities and national and international tournaments.
The good news is that the popularity of the sport is returning to Bainbridge Island and we are actively working with the Parks Department to add more facilities. We opened 6 new dedicated outdoor courts on August 29th, 2020 and are continuing with the second phase of the project which as a historical park recognizing the founders of the game and it's origins here on the island.
We welcome people from around the country and world to come and play pickleball here at the birthplace of the sport!