Unraveling the Origins of Pickleball: A New Perspective on the Sport’s History
Every sport has its origin story, a tale that becomes ingrained in its culture and passed down through generations. For pickleball enthusiasts, that story has long centered around a summer day in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. However, a recently uncovered account challenges this narrative, potentially rewriting the history of America’s fastest-growing sport. Let’s dive into this intriguing development and explore what it could mean for pickleball’s legacy.
The Conventional Pickleball Origin Story
For decades, the birth of pickleball has been attributed to three men: Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum. The story goes that in the summer of 1965, Pritchard and Bell returned from a golf game to find their families bored at Pritchard’s Bainbridge Island home. In an attempt to entertain everyone, they improvised a game using ping pong paddles, a perforated plastic ball, and a lowered badminton net.
This impromptu activity quickly evolved into a structured game with defined rules. McCallum joined the duo, and together they refined the gameplay, introducing elements like the double bounce rule and the non-volley zone. The sport gradually gained popularity, spreading from backyards to local schools and eventually across the nation.
The original court where this all supposedly began still stands on Bainbridge Island, complete with a commemorative plaque. It has become a pilgrimage site for pickleball devotees, solidifying its place in the sport’s lore. This version of events has been widely accepted and promoted by organizations like USA Pickleball, further cementing its status as the official history.
The Name Game: Pickles the Dog or Pickle Boat?
Even within the accepted origin story, there’s been ongoing debate about how pickleball got its name. Two main theories have persisted:
1. Pickles the Dog Theory
This popular version claims that the game was named after the Pritchard family’s dog, Pickles, who would chase after stray balls during early matches. It’s a charming story that’s easy to remember and share. However, some have pointed out timeline inconsistencies, suggesting that Pickles may have come into the picture after the game was already named.
2. The Pickle Boat Theory
Joan Pritchard, Joel’s wife, offered a different explanation. She stated that the name was inspired by “pickle boats” – a rowing term for crews composed of leftover oarsmen from other boats. This analogy seemed fitting for a game that combined elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong.
Both theories have their supporters, and until recently, these were the only contenders in the naming debate.
A New Challenger Appears: The Bechtel Theory
In July 2023, a self-published book titled “Pickleball!: The Curious History of Pickleball From Its Origins As Picklepong 1959–1963” by Patrick W. Smith emerged, presenting a radically different account of pickleball’s origins. This book, which had gone largely unnoticed until recently, claims that the sport was actually invented several years earlier on Whidbey Island, just north of Bainbridge.
According to Smith, the true progenitors of pickleball were his aunt and uncle, Gretchen and Charles “Chuck” Bechtel. He recounts playing a backyard game called “Picklepong” or sometimes “Pickleball” during summer visits to their Whidbey Island home between 1959 and 1963.
The Bechtels, Smith writes, regularly hosted political fundraisers attended by Washington state politicians, including Joel Pritchard. These events featured a casual lawn game played with ping pong paddles, a plastic ball, and an old badminton net – the basic elements of what would become pickleball.
Smith doesn’t aim to completely discredit the Bainbridge Island story. Instead, he suggests that Pritchard and his friends discovered the game at these Whidbey Island gatherings and later introduced it on Bainbridge, where they formalized the rules and claimed it as their own invention.
The Name Origin: A New Twist
Smith’s account also offers a fresh perspective on the naming of pickleball. He proposes two interconnected reasons:
- Players were often “pickled” (intoxicated) during games at these political fundraisers.
- Gretchen Bechtel served homemade gherkins (small pickles) before each match.
This version ties the name directly to the social context in which the game was played, as well as to a specific culinary tradition associated with it.
The ‘Kitchen’ Connection
Perhaps the most intriguing claim in Smith’s book relates to the origin of the term “kitchen” in pickleball. According to Smith, this iconic term, which refers to the non-volley zone near the net, originated from a running joke in the Bechtel household.
He recounts that when Chuck Bechtel would enter the actual kitchen looking for a drink, Gretchen would yell, “Get out of my kitchen—I never serve in the kitchen!” This phrase allegedly became a recurring gag during their backyard games, eventually evolving into the pickleball term we know today.
If true, this anecdote suggests that one of pickleball’s most distinctive terms has its roots in domestic banter rather than strategic gameplay considerations.
Evaluating the Bechtel Theory
Naturally, these claims have been met with a mix of curiosity and skepticism within the pickleball community. The lack of corroborating evidence and the timing of the book’s publication – long after pickleball had gained widespread popularity – have raised questions about its credibility.
Zane Navratil, co-host of the PicklePod, expressed doubt, asking why this information hadn’t come to light earlier and calling for tangible evidence like time-stamped photos or documents.
On the other hand, Thomas Shields, founder of The Dink and PicklePod co-host, found aspects of the story compelling. He noted that if someone were to fabricate a story, it would be odd to attribute the invention to distant relatives rather than claiming direct credit.
Coincidence or Convergence?
Some elements of Smith’s account align suspiciously well with known facts about pickleball’s development. For instance, he mentions that Boeing materials were used for the original paddle grips. This detail echoes the well-documented fact that Boeing materials were indeed used in the creation of the first composite paddle in the 1980s by Steve Paranto, whose father worked for Boeing.
Such parallels raise questions: Are these coincidences, or do they suggest a kernel of truth in Smith’s narrative?
Implications for Pickleball’s Legacy
If the Bechtel Theory holds any truth, it could significantly impact how we view pickleball’s history. The sport has built much of its identity around the Bainbridge Island origin story and its founders. Pritchard, Bell, and McCallum are revered figures in the pickleball world, and the Bainbridge court is considered hallowed ground.
Accepting a different origin story would require reevaluating not just historical facts, but also the very narrative that has shaped pickleball’s culture and community. It raises questions about whose contributions get remembered and celebrated in the annals of sports history.
A Possible Synthesis?
Interestingly, in a later interview with Angelo Rossetti, Smith seemed to suggest a more nuanced view:
“The story I’m telling you is really the prehistory of what we now play. Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum invented what we’re playing today, and were influenced by what they learned from us.”
This perspective opens the possibility of a hybrid origin story. Perhaps the game did have its roots on Whidbey Island, but it was the efforts of Pritchard, McCallum, and Bell that transformed it into the structured sport we know today. This synthesis could potentially reconcile the two narratives without entirely discrediting either.
The Ongoing Mystery of the Name
Even if we accept a merged origin story, the question of how pickleball got its name remains unresolved. Smith’s claim about his aunt’s German gherkin pickle recipe adds yet another layer to this already complex issue. Whether it was named after a dog, a boat, or actual pickles may remain a subject of debate for years to come.
Moving Forward: A Call for Evidence
As the pickleball community grapples with these new claims, there’s a growing call for concrete evidence. Old photographs, documents, or eyewitness accounts from the late 1950s and early 1960s could help substantiate or refute Smith’s narrative.
The Dink, a prominent pickleball news outlet, has reached out to Patrick W. Smith for an interview and is encouraging anyone with potential evidence – be it dusty old paddles, grainy photos, or even blurry 8mm footage of “Picklepong” on Whidbey Island – to come forward.
Conclusion: Embracing the Mystery
The emergence of the Bechtel Theory has injected new intrigue into pickleball’s origin story. While it challenges long-held beliefs, it also offers an opportunity for the pickleball community to engage more deeply with its history.
Whether this new account is ultimately verified, partially corroborated, or completely debunked, the process of investigation and discussion it has sparked is valuable in itself. It reminds us that history is often more complex and nuanced than we initially believe.
For now, pickleball enthusiasts are left with more questions than answers. But perhaps that’s not a bad thing. The mystery and debate surrounding the sport’s origins add another layer of richness to its culture. As pickleball continues to grow and evolve, so too may our understanding of its beginnings.
In the end, whether pickleball was born on Bainbridge or Whidbey, from boredom or political fundraisers, its impact on millions of players worldwide is undeniable. And that, perhaps, is the most important part of its story.
