By Elizabeth Daub

Waiting to receive a serve with anticipation and stress rising, I hear the loud thwack of the ball from the opposite side of the net, and the point begins. As we play out the point, competitiveness and genuine joy rise in us all. This feeling became a familiarity on weekends last summer, as I would often find myself going to play a game of pickleball. This lighthearted and straightforward game has become a new craze among my friends, family, and people worldwide.

Photo credit: GenRe.com.

Pickleball is surging in popularity among all generations today. The recent craze of the game makes it seem new, but the origins of the game go much deeper. Pickleball was created in 1965 by Joel Pritchard, a well-known politician who served in both the US Congress and in the Washington state legislature, as well as serving as lieutenant governor of Washington. Pritchard and his family lacked the proper equipment to play badminton, so they tweaked the game and began using ping pong paddles and a plastic ball similar to a whiffle ball. After a few weeks of getting out the kinks of their new game, they eventually developed pickleball as we know it today. 

The name pickleball can be confusing, because the game has nothing to do with pickles. There is, however,  controversy regarding the name of the game. The name came from the “pickleboat races” that took place near Pritchard’s home in Washington. “Pickle boat races” are crew racing boats managed by leftover rowers or inexperienced crew members. These boats are last-minute and thrown together with leftover rowers and equipment. Similarly, pickleball was created with leftover equipment and a quick idea; the term “pickle boats” perfectly coincided with the name. The controversy ensued when Pritchard’s neighbors believed he named the game after the Pritchard’s family dog, Pickles. The Pritchards denied this and claimed they got Pickles after the name had already been established, but many did not believe them. USA Pickleball pulled up photos, dog records, and interviewed people to discover that the Pritchard family got Pickles three years after Pritchard created the game. USA Pickleball proved that “the Pritchard family story stands true that pickleball was not named after the dog, but rather in reference to the local pickle boat races.”

Many significant events contributed to the development of the game’s popularity. The first was in 1967, when the first pickleball court was created, almost identical to the one we use today. In 1970, a book was published that included new knowledge on pickleball. The Other Racquet Sports explains pickleball and how to play it. By 1990, the game had spread to all states. In just 25 years, the game went from being a silly backyard game to a well-known game played all over the US. As popularity grew and rules were being made over these 25 years, Pritchard always kept his original goal in mind: to create a game that the whole family could play together without complicated rules and immense physical work.

Photo credit: Nike.

USA Pickleball, originally the USA Pickleball Association, reached its peak number of 70,000 members in 2023. In the past three years, USA Pickleball has gained close to 30,000 new members, making it the fastest-growing sport for the past three years. As interest in the sport has increased, there has been an increase in pickleball-specific courts, facilities, and businesses. Currently, the US has close to 11,000 pickleball facilities and 45,000 courts. 

Pickleball is a simple game. The rules are basic and easy to understand and remember. The basic playing rules are similar to tennis: the point must begin with a serve, and a rally is continued until a fault occurs. A few rules are pickleball-specific: you may only win a point if you served at the beginning of that point, all serves must be underhanded, and the ball must bounce on both teams’ sides before a volley can happen. A volley is when the ball is hit out of the air rather than letting the ball bounce. Another difference is the kitchen and “the kitchen rule.” The kitchen in pickleball is, as stated on the website Paddle Tek, “The seven-foot zone on each side of the net is known as the non-volley zone.” The rule is that “Players are not permitted to volley while standing in it. The kitchen rule exists to prevent a player from standing at the net and smashing every hit.” 

The spread of new courts around the country has resulted in a multitude of positive and negative reactions. One of the downsides is the noise of the game. The whack of the paddle against the ball is loud. As stated on a Kansas City blog that serves as “a community, creative outlet and publishing experiment,” Tony’s Kansas City, “it can get as loud as 70 decibels—the same level of noise as a vacuum cleaner.“ The loud noises produced by the game cause those who live by these courts to sometimes be annoyed or even file complaints. In Vienna, Virginia, the local tennis ball courts in Glyndon Park sparked a considerable controversy. Neighbors complained about the noise of the game and the constant thwack of the ball, “Ten to 40,000 times a day, hearing the same noise. It’s borderline torture, it really is,” said Dan Leas, a nearby resident in an interview with Tom Roussey of WJLA. This group of residents took the issue up with the city council, and eventually, the courts were restricted to specific times and days. Pickleball is much louder than similar games, creating a significant drawback. 

Another issue with these courts is that some tennis courts are being wholly converted to pickleball, angering many tennis players. A 2022 New York Times article on the subject explained that when the topic was discussed in Exeter, New Hampshire, “tensions flared” between the two sports. These tensions have been occurring all around the world. Not all tennis players have reacted adversely to the conversions, though. When asked if he cares about the general switch, my dad, Byron Daub, an avid tennis player, explained, “No. I think there is an opportunity for clubs and recreation centers to accommodate both but making sure they maintain a balance. Pickleball is the most recent trendy sport, but tennis has been around for a long time. They will also need to balance this with the increasing popularity of other racket sports, like paddle tennis.” Tennis players also complain about the social craze around pickleball and the lack of obsession around tennis, causing many players to resent pickleball. The New York Times stated, “Tennis appears to be losing the public image campaign,” and explained how pickleball is being featured in tennis-specific magazines. 

Performance Pickleball in Regency Mall. Photo credit: Performance Pickleball.

There are relatively new devoted pickleball facilities in the Richmond area. Recently opened Performance Pickleball, located in Regency Square Mall, offers 12 indoor and six outdoor courts that are easy to book. According to its website, Performance Pickleball is “the largest indoor pickleball facility in Virginia that will provide a premium pickleball experience for players at all levels, while also offering the social element that the sport is built on.” 

My friends and I have taken advantage of this nearby facility. Maddie Jewett (’25) visited Performance Pickleball recently and said, “The vibes were very fun, and I love playing pickleball with the people I love.” Another popular pickleball spot nearby are the six public, newly built, first-come, first-served pickleball courts located in Huguenot Park, a public park in Chesterfield County. Unlike Performance Pickleball, they only offer outdoor courts, which makes it harder to play in the cold winter, but it offers a wonderful experience in the warm summer months. Caroline Zandler (’25) and Katherine O’Toole (’25) visited these courts often this past summer with friends from nearby Midlothian High School. Zandler said, “It was fun to be outside and socialize, and the courts were nice.” Access to many courts and free time in the summer spiked the sport’s popularity among high schoolers, especially at Collegiate. That was clear during the week of May 13-17, the last week of classes for the Seniors, when a pickleball court was set up in the Christian Family Plaza. Students and faculty participated in games during free periods and breaks. 

Huguenot Park’s courts. Photo credit: Google user Lisa via Google Earth.

In the past, pickleball was perceived as a sport for older men and women, often seen in retirement homes or country clubs. This game is relatively easy for older people to play, because it does not require as much quick movement or running as tennis. Located in Glen Allen, The Crossridge 55+ Homeowners Community offers pickleball courts to its residents. I called and asked an associate of the HOA, Barbara, about the use of the courts, and she said, “I don’t really play myself, but they are used pretty much every day. We have beginners in the morning and seasoned players in the afternoon. As it gets warmer and lighter with daylight savings, they are used in the evenings. They are very, very popular.” Pickleball is still extremely popular among seniors and retirees, but recently, as the game has hit social media pages and local high schools, there has been a surge of teen players. 

Pickleball is appealing to teens for many reasons. Pickleball allows us to be outside and off our electronics, which is enticing, especially in the summer, when it is easy to get bored and spend hours on your phone. Playing also provides an easy to spend time with friends. Quinton Sullivan (’24) said, “Pickleball is fun because it brings people together to play an enjoyable game that is not too difficult.” Along with exposure to the outdoors, the game is relatively easy to pick up due to its simplicity and pace, which appeal to Sullivan also. O’Toole said, “I am not very good at pickleball, but I still love playing with my friends,” The greatest appeal is the competition that comes with the game. Competition is prominent among teens; whether it’s school, sports, fashion, friends, or anything else, competition thrives in high schools. O’Toole, who has broken a paddle in rage after a tough loss, stated, “I enjoy the game’s competitiveness, especially because I don’t feel the same competition during track season.” Pickleball allows her to compete athletically with her friends, which she wouldn’t have done otherwise.

Some pickleball-loving teens can even capitalize on the game. The game is now reaching colleges, and some are beginning to offer scholarships. In September 2023, Utah Tech University announced they would sponsor four students to compete nationally in pickleball and attend Utah Tech. In an interview with the Cedar City News, the president of the Utah Tech Pickleball Club that produced these four players, Hunter Aiono, explained, “It’s the literal embodiment of being a Trailblazer — setting this precedent and moving into territory that has never been touched by any other school.” And Aiono is right; the idea of funding official national players for the game has not been seen at other schools yet.

Other colleges and universities, while not offering scholarships just yet, have large pickleball clubs that meet usually weekly to play. There are about 79 colleges with pickleball clubs, including James Madison University, Texas Christian University, the University of Florida, the University of Virginia, Ohio State University, and many more. These massive clubs may someday offer scholarships. These clubs shifting to scholarships would likely go hand-in-hand with the officiating of the sport by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA has not deemed pickleball to be an official collegiate sport, but that may change in the future. Justin Maloof from USA Pickleball explained on their website, “We have no timeline as to when pickleball will be recognized by the NCAA, but with the continued growth of the sport, it could happen quicker than we think.” Pickleball entering the collegiate world can be an opportunity to capitalize on and turn playing as an exciting activity into a real passion and opportunity.