By Tom Gallagher
Players from 13 states are already signed up for the 5th annual Senior Pickleball Tournament to be held at Lefferson Park, 2201 S Breiel Blvd, in Middletown, Ohio. Approximately 120 players, over the age of 50 are expected for the three-day event. Matches are scheduled on Thursday, August 2 beginning at 3 pm with Men and Women Singles; Friday, August 3, beginning at 8:30 am with Men and Women Doubles; and on Saturday, August 4, beginning at 8:30 am with Mixed Doubles.
The Middletown Pickleball Association sponsors the annual event as well as weekly games and free training sessions throughout the year at Lefferson Park. The organization has developed the courts and improved the park at their own expense. The 5-year tournament has been in existence longer than the national USAPA tournament which began in 2009.
Pickleball is a relatively new sport invented in 1965 by two men who wanted to find something their entire families could enjoy and get exercise in the process. Joel Pritchard, a congressman from Washington State and Bill Bell, a successful businessman converted a badminton court by lowering the net to 36 inches and using a whiffle ball hit by wooden paddles. The next weekend Barney McCallum joined the two men and they began devising rules while keeping in mind that the game should be playable by the entire family. One problem ensued. The family cocker spaniel named Pickles wanted his wiffle ball back so he constantly ran off with the ball--thus the name Pickleball, since it was, indeed, Pickles’ ball.
The new racquet sport gained momentum with a formal corporation, articles in Tennis magazine and The National Observer. By 1984, the USAPA was organized at the national level and the first rulebook was published. Within the next six years, Pickleball was being played in all 50 states. By 2008, there were 420 places to play in North American with about 1500 individual courts. In 2009, the first USAPA National Tournament for players of all ages was held in Buckeye, Arizona. The tournament drew almost 400 players from 26 states and several Canadian provinces.
The Middletown Pickleball Association invites the public to enjoy the tournament and see how this “new” sport is played. For more information contact Tom Gallagher, tournament director, at 513-423-7526 or email tomkayg@aol.com.
