ABOUT the History vs. Current

The registered Salmon Arm Pickleball Club (SAPC ) name  was officially registered in 2016; BUT, the game came to Salmon Arm in the late 1990’s, click here to learn about Eddie Turner, Herb & Helen Pendell, Ralph Owens, Ben Peters & Ben Harrison; and, Linda & Keith Brown were instrumental from 2009 – 2016!  Click here to learn more about Linda & Keith.

The mission statement of the Salmon Arm Pickleball Club (SAPC), is to promote the development and growth of Pickleball at a social, recreational, and competitive level; and, to encourage individuals of all ages in the Shuswap to join in.

A History of Who Started the SAPC

The club name was registered as a non-profit organization in 2016 by a handful of fun loving pickleball players.  Another THANK-YOU to the 2016 Executive: Keith Brown,  Richard Delange, Graham Dudfield, Ed Hindman, Brian Luco, Bev Minaker, Ernest Morgan and Gerri Thompson

A Brief History of Pickleball

Pickleball is a thriving sport in North America and is easy to learn and play.  It is a unique, fast paced game that individuals of all ages can enjoy.  It promotes HEALTH, FRIENDSHIP, LAUGHTER, CHALLENGES, and more.  Where did the name Pickleball come from?  Well…..It was a Saturday afternoon in the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, when the very first game of Pickleball took place, Joel Pritchard,  Bill Bell and Barney McCallum found their families bored and looking for something to do, so they decided to set up a game of badminton. When they couldn’t find the shuttlecock, they improvised with a whiffle ball. They lowered the badminton net and made paddles from plywood in a nearby shed, and shortly after the first game of Pickleball was played.

According to Joan Pritchard, Joel’s wife who was a competitive rower, “The name of the game became PickleBall, after she said it reminded her of the Pickle Boat where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats. Somehow the idea the name came from their dog Pickles was attached to the naming of the game, but Pickles wasn’t on the scene for two more years. The dog was named for the game.”