have paddle, will travel
An island takes its place as the birthplace of pickleball
Words by Chantelle Lusebrink
On any given day at Battle Point Park, in addition to the birds chirping and children giggling from atop the playground’s ferry boat, you may hear another sound drifting through the air.
Plink. Plunk. Plink, plunk. Plink.
What follows are either bursts of elation or grunts of defeat, depending on which side of the net you’re on. The Founders Courts, which opened at the Bainbridge Island park in 2020 in honor of pickleball’s island inventors, are drawing players from near and far. As pickleball fever sweeps the country, Bainbridge Island has become a destination for ardent devotees of the sport, making pilgrimages to its birthplace.
“The only gear needed are a paddle and shoes, which are easy to travel with,” said Darlene Vendegna, a USA Pickleball Ambassador from Oakland who recently traveled to the island to play on hallowed ground and visit friends. “A game doesn’t usually take very long, so travelers can play and still have time to sightsee, and it’s fun to try out different court facilities.”
Peek inside the Founders Courts’ shed and you’ll see two maps with an array of colorful pins hanging on the wall. Coming from as far away as India, Mexico, China, Denmark, Canada, Ireland and Korea, each pin represents a person or group who has made the trek from around the globe to play pickleball on the island.
Why? Many want to play where it all began. Far from Joel Pritchard’s rustic Pleasant Beach court where it was developed in 1965, pickleball has made its way to the world stage. Today, USA Pickleball has more than 53,000 members, but that’s just a fraction of the 36.5 million who play each year around the country for recreation, according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals.
“There are all kinds of stories,” Scott Stover, current owner of the historic Pritchard family pickleball court, said of the countless visitors who have come in search of it for years. “Some people come down to explore a kind of mecca, but mostly we hear how pickleball has saved their lives, either by providing a renewed purpose or a greater sense of community.”
Sponsored by Bainbridge Island Pickleball and the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum, the annual Founder’s Tournament also attracts visitors. Last year’s tournament drew more than 350 players, 22 of whom were from other states. This year’s. tournament runs August 9-13 and includes historical tours, dinners and other events—all benefiting the museum.
“It’s a point of pride,” notes Sean Megy, a member of the Bainbridge Island Pickleball Steering Committee. “You can tell people here feel they are the caretakers of this sport and its history. People come here because of that.”
For Alex Sanso, a local artist/illustrator and owner of Island Life Artisan Gifts on Winslow Way, the halo of pickleball’s soaring popularity hasn’t gone unnoticed. Several island shops, including hers, are now carrying a variety of pickleball shirts, hats, paddles and more.
Sanso developed a whole collection of pickleball items, many declaring the island as the birthplace of pickleball with the tagline, “Born Here, Played Everywhere.”
“I started getting a lot of folks stopping by to ask, ‘Is Bainbridge Island really the place where it all started?’ And when I say, ‘Yes,’ they want the whole story behind it and how it happened,” she said.
On a recent visit to the shop, a young couple from Boston stopped in, seeing the paddles and hats on display.
“My dad is a huge pickleball player, so I know it was invented here,” Audra Murphy told Sanso, admiring a hat designed in retro colors. “This is perfect for him.”
Photos: Keith Brofsky