GREENSBORO, N.C. — You hear that?
That’s the sound of Pickleball.
“The reason I love pickleball and I spent a lot of my time doing research on pickleball is because it offers so many, not only physiological, but psychological and social benefits," said NC State Associate Professor, Dr. Jonathan Casper.
Dr. Casper works in the department of Parks & Recreation and Tourism Managment at the university, has not only researched the sport, but also, back in the 90s, taught it.
“Originally, even back when I was teaching, it was more of just like a gym activity. It wasn't really, it was something like, you know, kind of like how we think of badminton now or something. It was something that really wasn't played that often. It wasn't played outside. There wasn't dedicated facilities for a pickleball or anything like there is now," recalled Dr. Casper.
It’s a phenomenon that’s really experienced recent record growth.
“Pickleball, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, has been the fasting growing sport for the past 4 consecutive years," proclaimed Melissa Zhang of USA Pickleball.
Yet, this now popular sport, didn't always start out that way, for that, we have to take the clock back a bit.
“A lot of people think Pickleball was invented recently... That is not the case, it was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island which is right outside Seattle, Washington, by a few dads who were looking to entertain their kids one summer," Zhang said.
One of those dads? Future Lieutenant Governor of the state of Washington, Joel Pritchard.
“They had a bad mitten court as part of the vacation home and started tinkering around a little bit and lowered the net and had some wooden paddles that they kind of found around and started making it up as they went," said Dr. Casper.
While the sport has a long and storied history, it wasn’t until 2020 when Pickleball shot off due, in part, to the pandemic.
“People were looking for something to do outside with their whole family, something that would allow them to respect the social distancing guidelines while being active, doing something fun, and Pickleball is really a perfect activity for that.” <15 seconds>
So, grab your paddle and hit the court, because no matter where it came from, it's evident that Pickleball is here to stay.