I suppose pickleball euphoria was inevitable, particularly given the realities of late-stage capitalism.
As this magazine’s resident contrarian, kindly allow me to do something I’ve never, ever done in this space: namely, turn to Deadspin and an appropriately salty writer named Sean Beckwith.
Stephen Colbert is hosting a celebrity pickleball tournament for charity, and a guest list headed by Will Ferrell and Sugar Ray Leonard is even more of an indication that the sport has jumped the shark.
I’m not trying to discourage exercise or charity. There are plenty of ways to add competition to your workout, just like there’s a multitude of ways to do some squats without posting about #legday, or to stand out without social media’s approval.
Reading this article felt almost as good as polishing off a plate of dolmas after our recent cooking class in Athens, when the young Americans at the table decided that stuffed grape leaves didn’t look quite right even though they had helped make them.
Come to papa, I said. Confusion is what happens when your parents raise you on industrial chicken fingers.
A deep breath. So, what is pickleball, anyway?
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- A fun sport that combines many elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong.
- Played both indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court and a slightly modified tennis net.
- Played with a paddle and a plastic ball with holes.
- Played as doubles or singles.
- Can be enjoyed by all ages and skill levels
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What’s the back story of pickleball?
Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, Washington. Three dads – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum — whose kids were bored with their usual summertime activities — are credited for creating game. Pickleball has evolved from original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout the US and Canada.
It is a great relief to learn that Abner Doubleday isn’t credited with inventing pickleball. But why is the game named after artfully rendered cucumbers?
In the summer of 1965, pickleball was founded by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Within days, Joan Pritchard had come up with the name “pickle ball”—a reference to the thrown-together leftover non- starters in the “pickle boat” of crew races. Many years later, as the sport grew, a controversy ensued when a few neighbors said they were there when Joan named the game after the family dog, Pickles. Joan and the Pritchard family have held fast for decades that the dog came along a few years later and was named after the game.
Frankly, of the two stories I like the canine origin tale better. Here’s another pickle boat vantage point.
The last boat to finish the race is called the “pickle boat.” The origin of the name comes from English yachting, where the last boat was called the ‘fisher.’ The boats used to stop to fish for herring and then pickle them, thus “pickled herring.” The pickling required the boat to take even longer to come to port.
This explanation seems highly dubious. Why would upper crust yachtsmen be required to fish and prepare the catch, a workingman’s job, when the herring wouldn’t be ready to consume until long after the participants had returned to mismanage their estates?
(Actually I only referenced this because of my love of pickled herring.)
This brings us to match point: “A pickleball-themed restaurant and bar is planned for the riverfront.”
I know a good many people who enjoy playing pickleball, and needless to say, providing them with a suitable venue to meet, greet and play is a solid example of spotting an underserved niche and filling it.
Exercise should preface indulgence, right?
Pickleball-themed restaurant, bar coming to riverfront, by Laurel Deppen (Louisville Business First)
The concept is yet to be named, but it will be located on an acre at 1515 River Shore Drive, off River Road. It will include outdoor pickleball courts adjacent to indoor and outdoor bars, food offerings and a game yard.
The “eatertainment” venue is spun out of a partnership between John Flodder, co-founder of Ten20 Craft Brewery, and Lee Weyland, co-owner of CORE Real Estate Partners. It’s expected to open by the first quarter of 2023.
Photo credit: Big Dill Pickleball Company.
