- Pickleball, invented in 1965 by Joel Pritchard and others, is America’s fastest-growing sport and April is National Pickleball Month.
- Alachua County offers 12 public pickleball locations including 21 indoor courts at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center.
- Gainesville’s newest courts opened in February at Tom Petty Park and feature nets, lighting, and restrooms for public use.
- New pickleball courts are planned soon in Newberry and the West End community, with ongoing programs and clinics available statewide.
It’s no April Fool’s joke that “pickleball” is the original name of America’s fastest-growing sport.
When Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum invented the game using a paddle, a perforated plastic ball and a rectangular court on Bainbridge Island, Washington, in 1965, Pritchard came up with the name referencing non-starters in the “pickle boat” of crew races, according to USA Pickleball.
People have been pickleballing ever since, and even more so in the past few years…