Jefferson County Library - April is Pickleball Month!

The Jefferson County Library in Port Hadlock, Washington, celebrated National Pickleball Month by creating a poster using "Ollie the Otter" clip art and the commemorative "2022 Pickleball is the Washington State Sport" paddle. (Facebook, Instagram)

On March 28, 2022 six paddles were signed by Governor Jay Inslee, Senator John Lovick and others during a ceremony on Bainbridge Island. Paddles were donated to the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum, The Pickleball Hall Of Fame and USA Pickleball Association.

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In November 2021, the Jefferson County Library added a Pickleball portable net to their Weird Odd and Wonderful (WOW) Collection. 

The Jefferson County Library also has two pickleball books in their collection:

• Pickleball Fundamentals by Mary Littlewood
  The USAPA approved paperback lays out the sport’s essential skills and tactics.
• Claudia Fontana's "Pickleball CPR Drills" eBook

Pickleball Paddle Kits, Nets and Books are available to community members to borrow with a Jefferson County library card. 

Learn how to play pickleball with this new free video series (YouTube Playlist) by Pickler & the USA Pickleball Association 

Anyone interested in Free Group Pickleball Classes in Port Townsend, contact Mike McCoy: therealmccoys87@gmail.com

Ollie Otter Pickleball Books #wastatesport

NOTE: If you use the Ollie Otter image, please post a link to your image in the comments. 

 

Pickleball Is The Official Washington State Sport

On Monday March 28, 2022, Governor Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5615 sponsored by Senator John Lovick into law designating Pickleball as the official Washington State Sport.
Facebook Group: WAStateSport 

  

0:04 Governor Jay Inslee
3:34 Senator John Lovick
5:07 Stu Upson, USA Pickleball
7:13 Kate Van Gent
9:18 Governor Inslee Declares Clay Roberts The Washingtonian Of The Day
11:17 Governor Inslee Signs Senate Bill 5615

March Washington State Sport Press

1. March 17:  Governor Jay Inslee Will Sign #SB5615 On Bainbridge Island The Island Wanderer
2. March 21: Pickleball develops pros, prize money, biz ecosystem as it's designated Washington's state sport KUOW Public Radio
3. March 25: Ross: Pickleball will soon be the official sport of Washington My Northwest
4. March 28: Today, Pickleball named official Washington state sport King 5
5. March 28: Pickleball officially named WA state sport Seattle Times
6. March 28: Pickleball officially named Washington’s state sport Herald Net
7. March 28: Pickleball is now officially the state sport of Washington Newstalk 870 KFLD
8. March 28: ‘Life, liberty and pursuit of pickleball’: Inslee signs bill designating Washington’s official state sport Spokesman Review - Spokane
9. March 28: Pickleball becomes Washington's official state sport on March 28, 2022 HistoryLink
10. March 28: Inslee signs measure making pickleball official WA sport KIRO 7 News
11. March 28: Pickleball now the official sport of Washington state Fox 13
12. March 28: Gov. Inslee Signs Bill Making Pickleball the Official State Sport KPQ Radio
13. March 29: Pickleball: Go out and play Washington state's official sport Mukilteo Beacon
14. March 29: Meet pickleball: WA’s official sport is a mix of tennis, ping pong, and badminton yaktrinews.com
15. March 29: Washington's New Official Sport! KZOK Radio
16. March 29:  Inslee signs measure making pickleball official WA sport Associated Press
17. March 29: Pickleball, invented on Bainbridge Island, is now Washington's state sport Kitsap Sun
18. March 29: Pickleball officially becomes the state sport of Washington Seattle PI
19. March 29: Pickleball picked as Washington's state sport The Daily News
20. March 29: Inslee Signs Bill Making Pickleball the Official Sport of Washington State Big Country News
21. March 29: Pickleball becomes state’s official sport Bainbridge Island Review
22. March 29: Governor Jay Inslee signs a bill to make Pickleball the new state sport in Washington NBC Right Now
23. March 29: Pickleball becomes official Washington state sport Lynnwood Times
24. March 29: Pickleball is now the official state sport of Washington KXLY Spokane 
25. March 30: Pickleball players proud after game is designated as Washington State's official sport Fox13
26. March 30: Wow! Why This Western State Names Pickleball Their Official State Sport KIDO Talk Radio
27. March 31: Inslee designates pickleball as official state sport Columbia Basin Herald 

February 2022: Senate Bill 5615 Newsletter

January 2022:  Senate Bill 5615 Newsletter

Senate Bill 5615 - Pickleball Washington State Sport

Pickleball Could Be The Washington State Sport Soon

Senate Bill 5615 Facebook Group

January 2022 Newsletter

February 2022 Newsletter

Bill would declare pickleball the official state sport of Washington

KXLY Spokane, WA December 29, 2021

OLYMPIA, Wash – Two Washington senators want the legislature to declare pickleball as the official state sport.

A Washington congressman named Joel McFee Pritchard and his friends invented pickleball on Bainbridge Island in 1965, according to USA Pickleball.

“These men created the game at Pritchard’s summer cabin after they ‘persuaded’ their abnormally hyper children to go outside to play a few games of badminton, but there was no pickleball equipment to be found,” reads Senate Bill 5615. “Instead, these fathers did some brainstorming and created a new game using ping-pong paddles, a net, and a neighbor’s plastic Wiffle ball.”

The bill says the rules they created are still in use today by the USA Pickleball Association.

Senators John Lovick of Mill Creek and Sam Hunt from Olympia pre-filed the bill for the legislative session, which gets underway in early January.

“The legislature intends to honor and recognize the Washingtonians who created, popularized and continue to enjoy this sport by designating pickleball the official sports of the state of Washington.”

• Comment On Senate Bill 5615
• How to Register to Testify in a Committee Hearing
• Joining a Committee Meeting: Video and Audio in Zoom

Here's a sporting idea: Make pickleball the official state sport

Mill Creek Beacon December 30, 2021 

Like other states, Washington claims its share of official symbols: the state flower is, of course, the rhododendron. The state bird? American goldfinch. Fish? Steelhead. Tree? Western hemlock. Fruit? Apple (natch).

We even have a state dance (square dance) and folk song ("Roll On, Columbia, Roll On"). Thank you, Woody Guthrie.

It might be a surprise to some, then, that Washington doesn't have an official state sport.

With the help of newly-appointed state Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, pickleball enthusiasts hope to fix that oversight.

Yes, pickleball.

To the uninitiated, pickleball – a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping pong – is the fastest growing sport in the U.S., with more than 4.2 million players.

Sen. Lovick just dropped Senate Bill 5615 for consideration in the upcoming legislative session to make pickleball the official state sport of Washington. Sen. Sam Hunt of Olympia has signed on, and other legislators are interested, Lovick said.

Lovick didn't pick pickleball out of a hat. He said he and Mill Creek Beacon columnist Chuck Wright were talking last summer about the lack of an official state sport, and Wright encouraged Lovick to consider pickleball.

Wright, a fount of knowledge about all things Washington, noted that pickleball was actually invented here.

The movement's momentum really took off following a chance encounter in Kate Van Gent's driveway. She was arriving at her Mill Creek home a few months ago, just as Lovick was walking away from her front door. He was doorbelling for City Council candidate Melissa Duque at the time.

They began to chat, and she explained she was exhausted from playing five hours of pickleball. Seeing an opportunity, Lovick told her he was considering the pickleball legislation and asked for her help. Kismet.

Van Gent had taken up the sport at the start of the pandemic. She had been a pilates enthusiast, but COVID forced the closure of indoor gyms and other workout facilities, so she was looking for an alternative. (Read More)

Pickleball Growth & Trends

 
Pickler founder, Stacie Townsend, talks to a local pickleball community about the growth of pickleball, as well as trends in the sport. 

 

Psychology Today: Physical and Mental Benefits of Pickleball, With Fun Besides

Playing this trending game is a friendly antidote to pandemic-related boredom. 

There is evolutionary evidence for the benefits of physical activity, particularly in middle age and above. This hypothesis argues that humans evolved to be physically active and that moderate physical activity promotes health as it directs energy way away from storing fat into maintaining and repairing muscles, bones, and organs, as explained in an article by evolutionary biologist Daniel Lieberman and others in the current Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (December 2021). He observes that hunter-gatherer societies today, like our distant ancestors, typically may get two hours of physical activity daily, often walking five to ten miles daily for food and water. But even more moderate activity can increase blood flow, lower the risk of disease, and maintain better health. Read Article

Pickleball In The News: The fastest growing sport in the country

Pickleball In The News YouTube Playlist (530+ video)

 

KARK 4 News Nov 29, 2021  

It may be the unusual name, or the fact that just about anyone can play, but whatever it is, pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America.

“I think the name kind of draws people in and then once they get out here, they just love it,” pickleball player Brent Gingerich said.

A combination of badminton, tennis and ping pong, the sport has its own set of unique rules and equipment. 

The sport is easy enough for beginners to learn, but can quickly develop into a fast-paced and competitive game. Beyond the competition, there’s one thing that everyone can agree on.

“It’s a good comradery sport. It attracts people from all walks of life,” pickleball player Felicia Tatum said. (Read More)

Pickleball - The Fastest Growing Sport in America

 

The Sports Medicine Orthopod

Calvin Song, a Fresno St tennis coach and Selkirk-sponsored Pickleballer, joins us to break down this wildly popular phenomenon.

We talk evolution of the game, the mass appeal, how it is viewed in the tennis community, and it’s future. Could it be the next Olympic sports?

Calvin offers his unique perspective as someone who plays and coaches both tennis and pickleball, the differences and similarities not only in the sports themselves but in the injuries we see in Sports Medicine.