Pickleball Magazine 1-1 | Page 19

“The first paddles were just single ⅜-inch plywood. Then we built up the handles and kept improving the product,” he said. “There were no composite paddles back then. Then we got to the point that it could no longer be a ‘Mom and Pop’ type business. We contracted with a workshop in Seattle and we had them make our paddles. Even then, it got bigger than what they could handle.” “They’re looking for the new shorts of the season and how flashy the piping is on the new baseball hats. That’s where they’re at,” he said. “So we decided to go to the schools with the idea.” That was where opportunity, serendipity and luck converged for the McCallums and the future of pickleball. A new federal law called Title IX had been put into place, preventing discrimination for any reason at any establishment that received federal funding, namely schools. Physical education teachers were looking for sports for their students that didn’t favor one sex over the other and pickleball fit the bill perfectly. “The key to [pickleball] is balance–offense against defense. To me, the most balanced game I know is checkers. The only differential is who gets the first move,” Barney McCallum said. “Pickleball has balance. All the rules that we made were to keep that balance. Big guys didn’t dominate little. Skill was it. The attraction was that everybody could play it. It’s a great mixed doubles game, far more than tennis. Power is not the main factor by any means. It escalates in abilities, but there’s still a place for the guy who can’t chew gum and walk at the same time.” NATIONAL DRIVE Soon it became clear to everyone involved that growing the sport meant exporting it to the entire United States. So, the McCallums put together some marketing materials, a bunch of pickleball kits and set out for the National Sporting Goods Association’s annual meeting and trade show in Los Angeles. “That,” Barney said, “was an absolute failure. But we learned a lot. And we came back and changed the entire marketing strategy after that trip.” Despite a professional-looking booth and a television set showing the game in play, McCallum said large retailers weren’t interested in promoting a sport, and small retailers didn’t have the extra money to pioneer something new. “We’ ve hit some major milestones over the years that have raised the profile of the sport,” David McCallum said. “We made the ‘NBC Nightly News’ with Brian Williams. We had mentions in Sports Illustrated, local magazines and TV shows. Those gave it a little gas and got it going. That, and the blossoming of the baby boomers and snowbirds. Over the last five years, we’ve been shaking our heads, saying, ‘I’ll be darned that this hasn’t turned into something.’ It’s here to stay.” FUN WAS THE DRIVING FORCE Today, pickleball is played worldwide with avid players from Utah to Ukraine, and the growth of the sport continues stronger than ever. It’s played in schools as well as senior centers, and remains a great racquet sport for people who find games like tennis too intimidating. But, perhaps the biggest draw to pickleball is how it brings people together. “I met a guy when I was in Hawaii who told me they call it pukaball, after the shells,” Barney McCallum said. “We talked about ‘pukaball’ and how the name is more glamorous than pickleball. “Anyway, the biggest pleasure for me about the game, besides meeting a lot of wonderful people, is seeing people not involved in any athletics at all taking up the game. I have people tell me how pickleball changed their lives, how they never did a thing with sports before, but they can play their pickleball game. That’s quite a reward.” • Continued » 2003 2008 2008 2009 2015 Pickleball was included for the first time in the Huntsman World Senior Games, held each year in St. George, Utah, during October. The Rules Committee, headed by Dennis Duey, published the USA Pickleball Association Official Tournament Rulebook – Revision: May 1, 2008. There were 420 places to play in North America as listed on the USAPA website. This represents 43 states and 4 Canadian provinces and about 1,500 individual courts. This does not take into account those places that are adding courts or the many courts at private homes. USAPA establishes the Grant Program to assist players in creating new sites for new players. By the end of 2013 the program has accounted for over 1,400 new sites. Today, Pickleball has an estimated 2,460,000 players. The Places to Play list boasts over 4,000 sites. The 2015 Nationals fielded over 800 players. 2005 2005 2008 2009 2013 Mark Friedenberg was named President of the new USAPA Board of Directors. USAPA became a nonprofit corporation on July 1. Pickleball has been included for the first time in the National Senior Games Champion Festival to be held in Providence, Rhode Island, September 4 – 7. The first USAPA National Tournament for players of all ages was held in Buckeye, Arizona, November 2-8, 2009. The tournament drew almost 400 players from 26 states and several Canadian provinces. In January, Justin Maloof joined USAPA as its first full‑time Executive Director. JANUARY 2016 | MAGAZINE 17