By: Kate Van Gent
Most people know the origin story of pickleball. During the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, pickleball’s three founders, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum created the game to entertain their bored children. But did you know the drive to make pickleball the state sport began in Mill Creek? In July 2021, three Mill residents – a newspaper columnist, a state senator, and a pickleball player got together and for nine months laid the groundwork that turned the idea into a law. Senate Bill 5615 resulted from that grassroots effort and pickleball became the state sport in March 2022.
Pickleball may seem popular now. It is the fastest growing sport in the U.S, with over 8.9 million active players. Tournaments are plentiful. Volli built facilities in Marysville and Bellingham. Government officials are familiar with the sport. They are more likely than ever to ask for help hosting a tournament or for grants to build pickleball facilities. This year, Seattle United Pickleball introduced its first National Pickleball League for players over fifty. Major League Pickleball’s Seattle Pioneers once again recruited number one player Ben Johns. The University of Washington has a Husky intermural pickleball club. You can even bet on pickleball when you are in Las Vegas.
However, until late in 2021, the mention of pickleball usually resulted in a blank stare. When I worked to get support for pickleball as the state sport, I sometimes got laughter. Some thought the name was funny. Some had no understanding of pickleball’s history or importance to the state. Some said the bill was an empty proclamation or a waste of government time.
But the importance was not lost on pickleball players. In an October 2020 interview, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkin of Seattle said, “This is the first time in three years anybody has asked me about pickleball.” She received a swift rebuke from the Seattle Metro Pickleball Association, who reminded her that during those past three years, hundreds of citizens had communicated with her office to request more pickleball venues. Moving government and public opinion from apathy to respect was going to take a lot of work.
Fortunately, many people who heard pickleball’s origin story were moved by it. In June 2021, newspaper columnist Chuck Wright wrote an article called “Sunnier times mean pickleball time.” He discussed the idea of pickleball as the state sport with then Representative John Lovick, who agreed to sponsor a bill. Lacking was a player who could bridge the gap with the pickleball community. After meeting Lovick, I enthusiastically agreed to join the effort.
In addition to organizing statewide support, I recruited people to testify. I reached out to the founders’ now-grown children. Requesting support from USA Pickleball was important; after all, pickleball’s governing body was formed in Tacoma. The local media provided a great deal of support, producing interviews, articles, and broadcasts. Pickleball Fire devoted its 140th podcast to a discussion about Washington’s state sport bill.
In August, our core group met in Chuck Wright’s backyard to discuss goals. The bill wouldn’t be an empty proclamation. It would honor the founders, elevate the sport, honor contributing Washingtonians and professional athletes, attract government and private investment, support recreational players and the pickleball industry. By December, Representative Lovick became Senator Lovick and the house bill became a senate bill.
Former Secretary of State Ralph Munro contributed his knowledge of pickleball’s origin story. In 2000, his office compiled An Oral History of Joel Pritchard. Pritchard was a republican who served six terms in Congress, served in both houses of the Washington State Legislature and was Washington’s 14th Lieutenant governor. Appendix C contains an illuminating interview with Joel Pritchard called The Genesis of Pickle-Ball.
Anna Copley, co-founder of Pickleball Central, provided pickleball’s historic legacy. Washington is home to the world’s first four pickleball companies, the first pickleball tournaments, the world’s first governing body – USA Pickleball, the first pickleball rule sheets and booklets, the first pickleball hall of famers, and the first composite pickleball paddle, invented by Arlen Paranto in his Eatonville garage. As of 2022, twelve of twenty-one pickleball hall of famers have their origins in Washington.
The first legislative public hearing occurred in January 2022. Pickleball hall of famer Fran Myer, Seattle Metro Pickleball Association president Frank Chiappone, Dennis Poppe of the U.S. Senior Pickleball Association, Ralph Munro, and I were among those who testified. My observation is pickleball is something everyone can agree on regardless of political affiliation. Poppe, who competes nationally, observed that wherever he plays, it is tradition for service to start from the side closest to Bainbridge Island. Munro remarked that pickleball is the only worldwide sport ever invented in Washington State. It was invented by our most prominent citizens. And, he said, “It’s not a spectator sport as much as it is a participant sport. It brings a lot of credit, money, and prestige to our state.”
Speaking of money, pickleball tournaments generate revenue for the local economy. Last year’s PPA Seattle tournament generated $3,500,000 for the economy. The Seattle Metro Classic, a six-day tournament in Shoreline, generated $500,000 in economic impact. This tournament started in 2017 with forty registered players. This year, four hundred players registered in the first forty-five minutes. Eight hundred twenty-three registered players ranging from twelve to eighty years old will represent four countries, ten U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.
Change has come swiftly since pickleball became the official state sport. Snohomish County applied for a grant to build eight dedicated pickleball courts at Martha Lake Airport Park in Lynnwood. The PPA looked for a venue in Snohomish County to host their star-studded Seattle Baird Cup tournament. Unfortunately, Harbor Square Athletic Club in Edmonds declined their offer.
Everett City Council approved a proposal for a pickleball complex in the Riverfront development.
Side-Out Pickleball is building eight enclosed pickleball courts in Everett. Set to open July 1st, this location is co-owned by professional pickleball athlete Connor Garnett, a Washingtonian.
Pickleball Kingdom has a pending location for a twelve-court flagship facility in Lynnwood. Owner Johnny Hylton, a corporate pilot who flew for Nordstrom and Weyerhaeuser, bought the franchise rights for seventeen future Pickleball Kingdom locations in Washington. Hylton told me, “I need to bring this to the northwest. This is the birthplace for the sport.”
Seattle United Pickleball is looking for an enclosed 24-court pickleball facility in Seattle. Team manager James Main told me, “This is where it started. The world should look to Washington as the leader in everything pickleball.”
After Lovick filed Senate Bill 5615, Chuck Wright reported in his column that Lovick and advocates of the state sport bill were given the best compliment they could receive, “Now, why didn’t I think of that.”
What’s next? A state sport license plate, Senate Bill 5333, has been sponsored by the Seattle Metro Pickleball Association and Lovick.
The next time you hear the word pickleball, remember its humble origin. Remember a sport created in a backyard on Bainbridge Island is so beloved its players worldwide have a special reverence for the state of Washington.
Pick up a paddle and say, “I’ll play.” Whether it be friendship, exercise or service, your next adventure awaits you on the courts.
