About Cochrane Outdoor Pickleball Club

1965 –Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum returned to Pritchard’s home near Seattle to find their families sitting around with nothing to do. The property had an old badminton court so the men looked for some badminton equipment but unsuccessful, they improvised and started playing with ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. The three men created rules, relying heavily on badminton. They kept in mind the original purpose, which was to provide a game that the whole family could play together.

Pickleball has a very interesting name, 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”.
 
Currently, the sport of pickleball is exploding in popularity. The number of places to play has nearly doubled since 2010. The spread of the sport is attributed to its popularity within community centers, PE classes, YMCA facilities and retirement communities. The sport continues to grow worldwide as well with many new international clubs forming and national governing bodies now established in the USA, Canada, Spain and India.