Everyone's Falling in Love with
L L A B PICKLEBALL E L PICK
U
BY ADAM BAILEY
nless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve probably heard someone in Shreveport-Bossier raving about the sport pickleball. So, what is the ‘dill’ with pickleball? And why is it appealing to anyone and everyone?
Out of nowhere, pickleball is everywhere. This sneaky, fastpaced mixture of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong has been embraced by celebrities, athletes, and everyone in between. First, it’s important to remember that pickleball is just a goofy-sounding game featuring plastic balls (which are usually yellow) and composite paddles (which are usually ugly) on a hard surface roughly a third the size of a tennis court. Three numbers are called before each serve in a doubles match, second shots must bounce, “bangers” are players who drive hard shots, and the area on either side of the net is known as “the kitchen.” You don’t want to be in the kitchen until the ball has bounced in it. After that, you dink. Confused? Don’t be. — Intrigued? Absolutely!
PICKLEBALL HISTORY While it’s recently become really popular—pickleball has actually been around for over 50 years. The game was invented in 1965 when Joel Prichard, a US congressman from Washington state, and a friend returned to Prichard’s home on Bainbridge Island after a golf outing. Dismayed that their families were lounging around, bored, they decided to initiate a game of badminton because the home had a court. When they couldn’t find all the necessary equipment, they started playing with pingpong paddles and a Wiffle ball. Once they discovered that the ball bounced well, they moved the game to asphalt and lowered the net. The next weekend, another friend joined the group, and then another. Due to its newfound popularity, they created a set of rules, and the game was born. There is a raging controversy about the origin of the sport’s name. Some contend it was named after the Prichard family dog, Pickles. Others argue that the derivation stems from a pickle boat in crew—which is composed of random rowers picked from the leftovers of other boats. No one knows for sure except, today, 50 years later, it’s a very, very popular sport to play. How popular? According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, as of 2020, more than 4 million people play it in the US—an increase of 21 percent from 2019. There are numerous pickleball YouTube channels, podcasts, and books. There’s even a new magazine, solely dedicated to it. In Pickleball is said to be the “the Vogue of Pickleball,” printed on heavy stock and appeals to the mostly older and well-off Americans who live for the game. Several cruise lines have added courts to their ships to appeal to devotees. And while the sport is a low-key diversion for many, pickleball is be-
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Piper Brightwell, Laurel Rice Brightwell, and Parrish Brightwell playing at Southern Trace.
coming increasingly competitive. There are tournaments in almost every major city, and professional tournaments are aired on CBS Sports Network, ESPN3, and the Tennis Channel. What makes pickleball so addictive? “The secret sauce—and the reason the intergenerational stuff works—is because pickleball is very easy to learn, very easy to play and it’s super social,” says local pickleball enthusiast Laurel Brightwell. The social aspects are baked in. The small court size encourages chit-chat between partners and opponents. A single-match rule in drop-in open play promotes ever-changing player combinations because a new foursome takes the court after each set. A paddle queuing system keeps track of who’s up next. If you show up alone, your paddle is randomly paired with another in the queue, sparking new friendships. “That’s what makes pickleball so great. I love all the people I get to interact with,” Brightwell says. “It’s an inclusive community that welcomes anyone who wants to experience the joy of play-
