PICKLEBALL PIONEER, BARNEY MCCALLUM 1926-12019

On Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, Barney McCaDum was known as a handyman. So two of his neighbors, Joel Pritchard and Williarn Bell, asked him to help refine a game they invented in 1965 as a diversion for bored children.

The game was akin to tennis,but with a smaller court,
wooden paddles and a plastic ball. Mr. McCallum used bandsaw to make better paddles for what came to be known as
pickleball. He later headed a company that made pickleball
equipment.

Mr. McCallum, an envelope printer by trade and the last survivor
among the three friends,died Nov 18th, 2019 at his home in Seattle.  He was 93.

To his surprise, pickleball became a fast-growing sport worldwide. The underhand serve is easy to learn Little arm strength is required. Finesse in aiming the ball can make up for a lack of speed.

Long popular with people over 60, pickleball now attracts younger players as well.

Its name remains a source of confusion. Many articles say it was named after Pickles, a dog owned by the Pritchards. But Frank Pritchard, a son of Joel Pritchard, said the dog was named after the game.  He said his mother, Joan Pritchard, derived the name from “pickle boat,” a term that can refer to the slowest boat in a race.

, PICKLEBALL PIONEER, BARNEY MCCALLUM 1926-12019, ExpertPickleball.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.