Pickleball - Where are the founders?!

Welcome to this month’s Snowbuzz-Pickleball newsletter edition! We are packing up this one with, a LOT. Our main court topic today is: what the heck happened to the founders of pickleball? Followed by a juicy beginner guide that covers the basics but promises to not overwhelm. Up next we have one hell of a motivational message! Finally we are excited to unveil our NEWS segment ‘Pickled’, bringing you only the best, most relevant Pickleball news.

Don’t forget to check out our Merch and past editions! They are packed with goodies.

• Regular (and not so frequent you want to pull your hair out) newsletter emails

• Pickleball insights and news (Pickled!)

• Fun lighthearted content

• Product suggestions

• Tips and tricks

• Sneak peek into future editions

But don’t take our word for it.

Welcome to our second edition:

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What happened to Pickleball founders?

_{The inventors}

So you might expect that after they invented pickleball in 1965 that the founders did a jumping high five, roared a hoorah and called it a day. However, the reality is far from that, our founders had a very fulfilling careers following their creation (and before it) that they undoubtedly did not expect to grow the way it did, owing to the fact that they improvised it on one sunny day. Nonetheless, it is worth exploring the lives of Pickleball heroes!

Pickleball was invented by three American fathers, Joel Pritchard, Barney McCallum, and Bill Bell, each of them had many great achievements.

Joel Pritchard:

The first Pickleball father was a businessman and a politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives, and served as the 14th Lieutenant Governor of Washington.

Joel was a member of Washington Citizens for Abortion Reform (WCAR), he introduced a bill that allowed abortions in the first 4 months of pregnancy, which eventually led to Washington to become the first state with legalized abortion by popular vote.

Joel, a man who is entrenched in politics, ran the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972, and was reelected in 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1982, and chose to not to run for reelection in 1984. In 1989 he became president of the Washington Senate, serving from 1989 to 1997.

Sadly, Joel died in October 9, 1997. 

Bill Bell:

A lawyer, political advisor, and international businessman. Born in Pennsylvania, he later moved to Spokane, Washington, where he completed high school before earning a B.A. in Political Science from Whitman College. He later obtained an LL.D. from Gonzaga University Law School.

At 18, Bill enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1943 and fought in World War II. He served as a Private First Class in the 304th Infantry and landed in Belgium in late 1943. During the Battle of the Bulge in April 1944, he was wounded and later received an honorable discharge in July 1945. He was a Purple Heart recipient.

Bill Formed the game alongside Joel Pritchard in the summer of 1965. He played a key role in shaping the game’s unique mechanics, including The Kitchen and the double bounce rule, which added a strategic layer of play.

Bill was Pickle-Ball Inc. first international ambassador due to the nature of his work, as he often was abroad. He helped establish pickleball in Southeast Asia and Australia, even converting tennis courts at Singapore’s Raffles Hotel to accommodate the growing interest in the sport.

Outside of pickleball, Bill had a long career in business and politics. He was Managing Director of the Seattle World Trade Center, Campaign Manager for Dan Evans’ successful gubernatorial run in 1964, and later served on the Executive Board of INCO (International Nickel Corporation). He became Vice President of INCO in Southeast Asia and Australia, helping to establish early industrial partnerships with Indonesia. From 1974 to 1978, he was Managing Director of Faber Merlin in Hong Kong.

In 1982, Bill left the private sector to work as counsel for The Hudson Institute, later joining The Center for Naval Analysis, where he remained until his retirement in 2006.

Sadly, Bill died on June 3, 2006.

Barney McCallum:

A man regarded as the 3rd father of pickleball, fun fact about him, he played with his right hand. Barney served in the US Navy in 1944 aboard the USS Grafton. In 1964 he was honorably discharged with the rank of Seaman First Class.

Another fun fact is that he was introduced later to the game. He was the man that tightened up the ropes around the rules and gave the game its first balance patch by introducing features such as non-volley zone, and the double bounce rule.

Barney was no stranger to cunning, as he was a successful inventor and entrepreneur who applied his marketing skills to pickleball. He was accredited to be the one who made the game solid. Without Barney, Pickleball wouldn’t have jumped to become mainstream this quickly.

Pickle-ball Inc. was founded by Barney, it focused on making and marketing pickleball paddles. The company soon skyrocketed in success, expanding its production chain to Asia where ‘DURA Fast 40 Pickle-Ball’ was born, and remains to be the most popular ball to date.

Earlier in life, Barney was an athletic high school student who played football, basketball, and ran track. After his discharge from the Navy he joining the University of Washington, which he did dropout from to join Griffin Envelope Company. Ten years later, Barney started his own company, and began helping bootstrapping pickleball. The slogan “Say Goodbye to the Sidelines” was his, and it remains a memorable slogan that aims to assure others about the easiness of Pickleball.

Sadly,  Barney died in November 18, 2019.

Legacy:

While Pickleball may have bid farewell to its final creator in 2019, and while none of its founders walk among us today, their legacy lives on, stronger than ever. What began as a simple backyard game has become America’s sensation, a sport so inviting it lets you “Say Goodbye to the Sidelines.”

Joel, Barney, and Bill lived rich, fulfilling lives, leaving behind a game that continues to bring joy, competition, and camaraderie to millions.

Let us honor their legacy by stepping onto the court, paddle in hand, and savoring every moment Pickleball brings us.

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Fun fact about pickleball:

• It is actually named after Joel’s dog, he was called Pickles and liked chasing the ball and running off with it. (So much for our theory that it was named after THE pickles 🥒)

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How to actually play Pickleball:

In our last edition (https://snowbuzz.beehiiv.com/p/pickleball-america-s-newest-sensation-53f7) we spoke about the rules, and what equipment you’ll need (if you didn’t get any, check out (https://snowbuzz.beehiiv.com/p/pickleball-america-s-newest-sensation-53f7) for some suggestions.

First, the objective:

• Hit the ball across the net to your opponent’s field, when they miss, or violate the rules, you score!

• The aim is to score 11 points, with a lead of 2 points.

Second, how to start:

• The game starts with a serve, a serve just means that you will hit the ball to the opposite court.

• The serve must be underhand, with the paddle making contact below waist level.

• The ball must be hit diagonally into the opponent’s service box.

• Only one serve attempt is allowed, except if the ball touches the net and lands in the correct service box (a let serve, which is replayed).

Pickleball is more forgiven, after the first serve, the opposite team must wait for the ball to bounce before hitting it, and the same is true when the ball returns to your court, it must bounce once before it gets hit.

This double bounce rule ensures fair play and prevents aggressive net play too early in a rally.

Third, “The Kitchen”:

• A 7-foot area near the net on both sides.

• Players cannot volley (hit the ball out of the air) while standing inside the kitchen.

• This rule prevents smashes at the net, keeping the game balanced and strategic.

Fourth, scoring:

Pickleball uses a side-out scoring system, meaning only the serving team can score points.

So if you serve, you score when your opponent miss the ball, or violates a rule.

If YOU fail, you handover to the opponent, and they serve. Basically you can score as long as you do not miss the ball, otherwise you switch to let the opponent serve.

• In singles (1 vs 1), the serve alternates between players after a fault or miss by server.

• In doubles (2 vs 2), both partners on a team get a chance to serve before the serve switches to the opponents.

That’s all for now. Next time we’ll diver deeper into the types of shots, and mistakes to avoid.

Here are some tips to dominate your group:

• Use the double bounce rule to your advantage—wait for the right shot before attacking.

• Control the Kitchen—stand just behind the non-volley line to dominate the net game.

Pretty simple stuff.

Here is a fantastic video that show how play:

https://youtu.be/fTvPYdKZqO0?si=4FqN5Sw3hLU8WtZD

_Pickled 🥒🥒

We promised and here it is! Enjoy a quick snippets of top Pickleball news, handpicked for maximum relevance.

Tennis player climbs the ranks of Pickleball:

Eugenie Bouchard is making some noise in Pickleball tournaments courts. The tennis player is climbing the ranks and now sits at the 17th spot of Pickleball rankings. She has SMART objectives as apparent by her definition of success: “Success is going to a tournament and leaving with at least a win," It is clear that Bouchard is looking to dominate in Pickleball ever so modestly, but that doesn’t mean she is leaving the Tennis scene for good.

Pickleball joins the offering of a local recreational center:

Pickleball continues to grow in demand, with Shaver Recreation Department offering the gym goers a go at the game. More than 70 people throughout the day on the day of offering have joined to play. The game was added after a survey was launched in 2024, and the population demanded the addition of pickleball.

The below picture highlights the ease of the sport, a net on wheels, the right gear, and a pickleball is all they needed.

Pickleball demand outpacing supply:

Famous indoor pickleball franchise Ace Pickleball club that already opened 11 clubs in 2024 has great plans for 2025. The club is set to open  25-30 new locations in 2025 adding to their staggering number of 125 location. This is an ambitious goal that highlights how in demand the sport is. “Pickleball isn’t just a sport; it’s a movement bringing people together,” said  Conor Hawks APC vice president of franchise growth. This movement growth is not slowing down anytime soon.

_{Future Pickle}

Coming Next Edition!

History of the ball, the evolution of the Pickleball ball.

How to AMP UPPPPP your game?

random pickleball fun facts!

And more news with Pickled!