Seniors Swing: Pickleball's October Legacy at Huntsman Games

On October 3rd in pickleball history, one notable milestone is that the sport has long been part of the Huntsman World Senior Games, held annually in St. George, Utah, every October since 2003. These games are among the largest multi-sport events for athletes over 50 in the world, and pickleball’s inclusion highlights its popularity and importance as a sport accessible to seniors, promoting both competitive play and community engagement. This annual event each October has helped raise pickleball’s profile and fostered a broader, active senior pickleball community nationwide.

The story of pickleball began decades earlier in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The game was created quite spontaneously by Joel Pritchard, a congressman from Washington State, Bill Bell, a businessman, and Barney McCallum. After a round of golf on a summer day, they found their families bored and improvised a game combining elements of badminton, ping-pong, and tennis using a lowered net, ping-pong paddles, and a perforated plastic ball. Their goal was a family-friendly sport, playable by all ages, which grew rapidly in popularity thanks to its easy-to-learn and social nature.

October as a month has been significant for pickleball growth beyond just tournaments. For example, the first permanent pickleball court was built just two years after the sport’s invention, in 1967, helping transition pickleball from an impromptu backyard game to a structured sport with dedicated facilities. By the early 1970s, formal organizations were forming to protect and promote pickleball, including incorporation efforts in 1972.

By the 1980s, pickleball’s growth accelerated with the creation of its first governing body, the United States Amateur Pickleball Association, in 1984, which standardized rules and further promoted tournaments nationwide. These developments, along with pickleball’s inclusion in senior multi-sport events each October like the Huntsman World Senior Games, have helped it blossom into one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States today, embraced by players of all ages and skill levels.

The lore around pickleball’s name itself is interesting and relates to its founding period in the mid-1960s. While a popular and charming story suggests the sport was named after a family dog named Pickles, research and interviews with the founders have confirmed the name came from the “pickle boat” term from rowing, referring to a mix of leftover team members, a metaphor for the game’s mix of sports. Interestingly, the dog Pickles was born three years after the sport’s creation, adding a fun twist to the name’s backstory.

Listeners can imagine those summer days in Washington State in 1965, as friends and family gathered around, inventing what would become a national sensation and lifelong passion for millions. Every October, when players gather at senior games or local tournaments, they celebrate not just competition but the shared history and community that pickleball encourages.

Thank you for tuning in today and letting me share with you this slice of pickleball history for October 3rd. Please remember to subscribe so you don’t miss any future stories and insights from the world of pickleball. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
On October third. In pickleball history, one notable milestone is
that the sport has long been part of the Huntsman
World Senior Games, held annually in Saint George, Utah, every
October since two thousand three. These games are among the
largest multi sport events for athletes over fifty in the world,
and pickleball's inclusion highlights its popularity and importance as a

(00:21):
sport accessible to seniors, promoting both competitive play and community engagement.
This annual event each October has helped raise pickleball's profile
and fostered a broader, active senior pickleball community nationwide. The
story of pickleball began decades earlier, in nineteen sixty five
on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The game was created quite spontaneously

(00:44):
by Joel Pritchard, a congressman from Washington State, Bill Bell,
a businessman, and Barney McCollum. After a round of golf
on a summer day, they found their families board and
improvised a game combining elements of badminton, ping pong, and tennis,
using a lowered net, ping pong paddles and a perforated
plastic ball. Their goal was a family friendly sport playable

(01:08):
by all ages, which grew rapidly in popularity thanks to
its easy to learn in social nature. October as a
month has been significant for pickleball growth beyond just tournaments.
For example, the first permanent pickleball court was built just
two years after the sport's invention in nineteen sixty seven,

(01:30):
helping transition pickleball from an impromptu backyard game to a
structured sport with dedicated facilities. By the early nineteen seventies,
formal organizations were forming to protect and promote pickleball, including
in corporation efforts in nineteen seventy two. By the nineteen eighties,
pickleball's growth accelerated with the creation of its first governing body,

(01:53):
the United States Amateur Pickleball Association, in nineteen eighty four,
which standardized rules and further remoted tournaments nationwide. These developments,
along with pickleball's inclusion in senior multi sport events each
October like the Huntsman World Senior Games, have helped at
blossom into one of the fastest growing sports in the

(02:13):
United States today, embraced by players of all ages and
skill levels. The low around pickleball's name itself is interesting
and relates to its founding period in the mid nineteen sixties.
While a popular and charming story suggests the sport was
named after a family dog named Pickles, research and interviews
with the founders have confirmed the name came from the

(02:34):
picklebow tern from rowing, referring to a mix of leftover
team members, a metaphor for the game's mix of sports. Interestingly,
the dog Pickles was born three years after the sport's creation,
adding a fun twist to the name's backstory. Listeners can
imagine those summer days in Washington State in nineteen sixty
five as friends and family gathered around inventing what would

(02:57):
become a national sensation and life long passion for millions.
Every October, when players gather at senior games or local tournaments,
they celebrate not just competition, but the shared history and
community that pickleball encourages. Thank you for tuning in today
and letting me share with you this slice of pickleball
history for October third. Please remember to subscribe so you

(03:21):
don't miss any future stories and insights from the world
of pickleball. This has been a Quiet Please production. For
more check out Quiet Please dot Ai