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2020 marked the 55th Anniversary of pickleball, as it was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, by three enterprising dads – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum. Their children were bored with their usual summertime activities. It evolved from the original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout North America and is now taking off in other parts of the world.
The origin of the game’s name is very interesting, especially since no pickles are used. Accounts of how the name originated differ. According to Joel Pritchard’s wife (Joan), she started calling the game pickleball because “the combination of different sports reminded me of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats”. However, according to Barney McCallum, the game was officially named after the Pritchards’ dog Pickles who would chase the ball and run off with it. According to McCallum, “The Pritchards had a dog named Pickles, and you’re having fun at a party, right? So anyways, what the hell, let’s just call it pickleball”.
Others claim both accounts may be true. In the early years, no official name was assigned to the game. However, a year or two after the game was invented, the Pritchard’s purchased a cocker spaniel and named it Pickles. As the game progressed, an official name was needed and “pickleball” was it.
In the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s (SFIA) 2019 Pickleball Participant Report, they reported pickleball currently has 3.3 million players in the US. SFIA formed in 1906 and is the premier trade association for top brands, manufacturers, retailers and marketers in the American sporting goods and fitness industry. Here are a few details from the 2019 SFIA Pickleball Participation Report:
- Of the 3.3 million players, 2.0 million were “Casual” participants who play 1-7 times a year.
- 1.3 million were “Core” participants who play 8 or more times a year.
- The Average Annual Growth Rate (AAGR) for all players from 2015 to 2018 was 9.7%, for a total growth rate of 29.1% over three years.
- 62% of participants are men; the percentage of participants who are women grew from 33% to 38% over three years.
- The average age for all players is 41 years old.
- The average age for Core players is 54 and Casual players 33 years old.
- 64% of Core players are 55 or older.
- 84% of Casual players are 54 or younger
- The percentage of Core players ages 54 and younger grew from 25% to 36%
- The percentage of Casual players ages 54 and younger grew from 78% to 84%
- These increases in the percentages of both Core and Casual less than 55 years of age reflect faster growth among younger players.
The percentages by age of Total, Core, and Casual participants are:
| AGE | TOTAL | CORE | CASUAL |
| 6-17 | 16.7% | 8.1% | 22.2% |
| 18-34 | 28.0% | 11.4% | 38.6% |
| 35-54 | 20.3% | 16.3% | 22.9% |
| 55-64 | 14.9% | 24.6% | 8.7% |
| 65+ | 20.2% | 39.6% | 7.7% |
2019 USA Pickleball Facts and Highlights:
- Total Courts: 30,238
- Ambassadors: 1,904
- Sanctioning: USA Pickleball sanctioned a record 192 sanctioned tournaments
- 2019 National Championships: The Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships had over 2,000 registered players and the sports highest ever cash purse of $80,000.
- Certified Referees: USA Pickleball added another 45 certified referees bringing the new, yet growing list to 206 certified referees.
- Hall of Fame: 2019 Inductees were Daniel Gabanek, Jennifer Lucore, Steve Paranto and Enrique Ruiz.
by James Main, President, San Carlos Pickleball Association
Beginner Skills & Drills and Private Lessons
Beginner level Skills & Drills with Theresa Melius:
Tuesday, March 16 and Tuesday, March 23.
From 11:00am – 12:00pm:
Limited to 12 players
Reserve your spot for Skills & Drills 2 days prior to the event by emailing Theresa (T) at: theresamelius23@gmail.com.
Private Lessons are available with James Main during available times. Text or email James directly to set up a time: destinationpickleball@gmail.com
If you’re not already a member, now is a great time to join Mirador Courts.
Women’s Round Robin, Thursdays
Calling all women picklers!
Starting this Thursday, March 4, we are going to have a women’s round robin at 11:00am at Mirador Courts.
It is open to all women Mirador Court members — all skill levels. Please let everyone know (as long as they are club members and, well, female).
We’ll continue these Round Robins every Thursday, so come and join us when you can.
No need to RSVP, but be there at 11:00am so we can start right away.
If you have any questions, contact Anne Morales at: nnmrls160@gmail.com
Open Play, Monday – Saturday
The courts are starting to fill up for daily Open Play so we are back to our regular court rotation schedule.
Open Play is every morning except Sunday from 8:00am to 11:00am. In order to accommodate all the skill levels, we are scheduling the Open Play as follows:
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays:
Players under skill level 3.5 will play on four courts — Courts 4, 5, 6 and 3.
Players skill level 3.5 and above will play on two courts – Courts 1 and 2.
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays:
Players skill level 3.5 and above will play on four courts — Courts 1, 2, 3 and 6.
Players under skill level 3.5 will play on two courts – Courts 4 and 5.
Use the paddle racks to determine next up. The paddle racks closest to court 1 are for the 3.5+ courts and conversely, the paddle racks closest to court 4 are for the 3.0 and Beginner players
You can also check the calendar or court reservation system for Open Play days and times.
And remember, you can reserve a court anytime around the Open Play times if you want to play with specific people for a few hours or do some drills with a few friends.
Round Robin, Sundays
All Mirador Court members are invited to join us on Sundays at 8:30am for Round Robin play. We play for 15 minutes and then rotate players and courts. It’s a great way to meet and play with new people, without worrying about your scores.
Therefore on Sundays from 8:30am – 11:00am, the courts are reserved for the weekly Round Robin.
Balls, balls and more balls
We have been going through a lot of balls this year at Mirador Courts. As a club, we spent just over $1000 USD in balls thus far and we are running low in order to get us through the summer. Many balls of course break and there seemed to be an inordinate amount of “wobbly” balls in this last batch, but regardless, the ball situation has forced us to take a look at our club policy.
Starting next season (October 2021), the club will not be providing balls for open rec play. No balls will be left at the courts for general use. Each member will be asked to have 3 or 4 Franklin X-40 optic yellow balls of their own in their bag. Mark your balls with your initials or some other symbol of your choosing so you can keep track of them. When playing rec games during open play, have one of your balls available and keep track of it when you move from court to court.
Our instructors will have their own club balls that they will bring to skills and drills and lessons that they will monitor and collect after every session.
Balls will be provided during tournaments but also monitored and collected by court managers or referees after play.
As a club, we will be able to purchase balls at a discounted price and we will pass that discount on to all of our members so you can load up with balls whenever you like.
We will continue to replenish the balls for the rest of this season but want everyone to be aware of the change so you can start getting used to the fact and be ready to play come next season.
International Federation of Pickleball and Liga Profesional de Pickleball Mexico
Mexico has officially become a member of the IFP
The International Federation of Pickleball (IFP), the world governing body of pickleball, was established to perpetuate the development and growth of the sport throughout the world. The IFP’s goal is to introduce pickleball to all nations so that they may embrace the sport as one of their national sports, and ultimately to achieve official recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in order to establish pickleball as an Olympic sport.
The IFP is a non-profit, volunteer organization committed to promoting international play and competition, maintaining the official rules for pickleball, and providing a worldwide code of conduct for pickleball athletes. The IFP focuses its resources on supporting organizations that foster the sport around the world for all ages and ability levels.
The IFP offers all national and regional pickleball associations and federations who desire to join in membership for the advancement of pickleball an opportunity to participate and contribute to that growth. These purposes are fulfilled through the aims and objectives of the IFP.
Liga Profesional de Pickleball Mexico (LPPM) is the officially recognized National organization here in Mexico. This is a brand new organization that will be working on a National tournament, ambassador program, ratings system, bringing the Bainbridge Cup to Mexico, and everything else that promotes the growth of Pickleball in Mexico. Mexico will have 5 different regions and San Carlos will be the Headquarters for the Northwest region which will extend from the Baja to Chihuahua and down to Mazatlan.
There will be more exciting developments to come as this organization starts to take off!!!
Rumors
Rumor #1
Don’t we all love rumors and dirty court gossip!!! 🙂 Let’s take a look at some myths and facts:
We are not losing Mirador Courts. Well at least not soon… we hope. The myth is we are getting kicked out. Well, that is not true. At present time, we are welcome to play at Mirador Courts for as long as we want under our rules. But, there is no written agreement in place so technically it is possible that we could get kicked out at any time. I don’t think this will happen. At least not for several years, but really it is anybody’s guess which is why……..
Rumor #2
We are looking for a location for new courts. The Board has currently hired a lawyer to officially make us a non-profit organization recognized by the Mexican government. This will allow us to legally conduct business, collect donations, and … wait for it … purchase our own land!
Only by owning our own land will we be able to ensure that our Pickleball courts will be here for many years to come without worry.
This is exciting news, you say?! Give me more details, you want!!! Well, we don’t have them just yet. One step at a time. Right now, we are focusing on the lawyer’s needs while keeping all of our options open. We are talking to people that may have land for sale and looking at several locations that will give us the best possible future.
Fortunately for us, we don’t believe the Mirador Courts are going away anytime soon, so we can take our time and do everything with purpose and due diligence.
When we have a clearer direction and some more concrete news, we will have a general meeting and present options to all the members so we can all be as excited about the future as I am.
Rumor #3
Bert and I do not have a secret tryst. But if we did, Ingi has wholeheartedly given us her blessing.
Rumor #4
Boyes Burgers will be adding the “Santiago” burger to their menu named after me. This is 100% accurate and has been verified and confirmed by the head owner of Boyes himself. OK, this may be less than 100% fact but IT SHOULD BE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by James Main, President, San Carlos Pickleball Association
Playing Pickleball during COVID-19
It’s up to you to assess your own risk and decide whether or not you should play at this time. If you choose to play at Mirador Courts, please engage in everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. These include:
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. The restrooms are available for our use (keys are hanging on the post at court entrance; please lock the restroom after use).
- Maintain a healthy distance from each other when off the courts.
- Feel free to bring your own chair, or place your Membership Card on your chair from the court to reserve it so that others will not use it during play.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. No hugs, handshakes, high fives or paddle taps.
- Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects daily. Coronavirus can live on plastic and metal. At the courts, that’s the balls, tables, chairs, locks on the doors, the fence, the paddle holder, the umbrella handle, etc. etc. The Board will not be doing daily disinfecting of the courts, so it is up to anyone who chooses to play to clean and disinfect any surfaces that they will come into contact with.
Gear for sale
James has lots of Gearbox paddles, backpacks, eyewear, grips, edge guard, and yes, even socks for sale. All of the Gearbox GX5 and 6 series paddles are $140 (2800 pesos), CP7 series are $100, backpacks are $90.
If you are interested in any of these paddles or other items, please contact James at: destinationpickleball@yahoo.com.
Discount on Pickleball Gear
Members of the San Carlos Pickleball Association get a 5% discount at PickleballCentral.com.
If you’re looking to buy a paddle, balls or gear, visit pickleballcentral.com.
Click on “My Account” (in red font at the top of the page). If you have an account, sign in. Otherwise, go to New Customers, and click on Continue…and go through the prompts until you have an Account set up.
At Check Out, there is a box where you should put the following Coupon Code: CRSANCARLOS
Then click Apply.
This will give you a 5% discount on your order. You will see San Carlos Pickleball Association with the discounted amount beside it. It will also give our San Carlos Pickleball Association a 5% Club Reward that will accumulate over the year, and next year they will give our club a credit for that amount. It’s a win-win for both you and for our club!
Professional Pickleball Association Grand Slam
8:03 Jessie Irvine/Irina Tereschenko vs Leigh Waters/Anna Leigh Waters
1:16:45 Steve Deakin/Matt Wright vs Dekel Bar/Adam Stone
2:19:05 Catherine Parenteau/Callie Smith vs Simone Jardim/Lucy Kovalova
3:31:51 Jessie Irvine/Irina Tereschenko vs Leigh Waters/Anna Leigh Waters