Not a word I made up.

Not a game played with a pickle.

Pickleball is a racquet sport which combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis.

It's not something new, though it is sweeping the country today. 

According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickleball" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>, the game originated in the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington at the home of Congressman Joel Pritchard, U.S. House of Representatives for the State of Washington. 

He and two of his friends returned from golf and found their families bored one Saturday afternoon. They attempted to set up badminton, but no one could find the shuttlecock. They improvised with a whiffle ball, lowered the badminton net, and fabricated paddles of plywood from a nearby shed.

So why is the game called PICKLEBALL?

The popular story told today is that it was named after the Pritchard family dog. As the story goes, the whiffle ball belonged to the dog. Whenever an errant shot happened, Pickles would run and try to get the ball and hide it. They named the game for their dog’s ball, “Pickles’ Ball”, then it became Pickleball. 

The truth is the Pritchard family didn't get the dog until 1967 according to Joan Pritchard so actually, the dog was named after the sport.

Pickleball offers great exercise, but it's not as strenuous as tennis. We have a little "league" here in the San Luis Valley and play several times a week.

A great diversion from sitting in the chair at the computer. The exercise clears my head and stimulates my creativity. 

Here's a video of Pickleball action. (Not our league)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3Ivd1lvi5o&amp;w=420&amp;h=315]

<strong>YOUR TURN:</strong>What do you think? Is Pickleball a game you'd like to play?

