Pickleballers From Near and Far Enjoyed Another Fun Founders Tournament in Celebration of the Game’s 60th Year!

In spite of a summer rainstorm on Friday that forced play to be moved to the indoor Pickleball Kingdom facility in Poulsbo, the sixth annual Founders Tournament this past weekend at Battle Point Park came off without a hitch.

Under partly sunny skies (except for the aforementioned Friday Aug. 15th), some 381 players battled it out in categories ranging from seniors, to men’s, women’s and mixed doubles categories. Aside from a Bainbridge contingent that made up roughly 25 percent of the field, there were players registered from Hawaii, Maine, Texas, Ohio, South Dakota, Arizona, and Minnesota, as well as a number of international participants.

This year’s tourney coincided with the 60th anniversary of the game’s founding on Bainbridge Island. Most islanders know by now that in the summer of 1965, a group of kids, who were apparently bored out of their gourds while at home on Pleasant Beach were told by their parents — Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum — to create a game using what they had on hand: a badminton net, ping pong paddles, and a Whiffle ball.

Viola. Pickleball was born!

While it was the kids who may have inspired the invention, it was the parents who made it famous. The three families spent months refining the rules to ensure the game was fun, simple, and inclusive — a sport designed for all ages and abilities. McCallum took it even further developing usable paddles, balls, a standard net size, and later began to seriously market the game.

From those humble beginnings, Pickleball has grown into a global phenomenon. Nearly called “Pukaball” it spread from Bainbridge Island to Maui, HI, to The Villages in Florida, and now thrives in Singapore, Kenya, Chile, China, Mexico, the Netherlands, and even in Iceland. It’s a sport, most players will admit, that builds community, nurtures social connection, strengthens bodies, and crosses every line of age, gender, and physical ability, including wheelchair and visually impaired play.

The First Court, or should we say, visiting the First Court, continues to be a highlight of the Founders Tournament. A number of players and fans – including nine referees – took time off from the action over the weekend to visit the site, located in an undisclosed neighborhood somewhere on the south end of the island. You can read about the origins and preservation of the First Court in a previous story in The Island Wanderer: Stovers Honored for their Preservation of Pickleball’s Founding Court | THE ISLAND WANDERER

The tournament, held from Aug. 13- 17, was presented by the Bainbridge History Museum in association with Bainbridge Island Pickleball and a wide assortment of local sponsors. It featured lots of good play, along with some food, ice cream from Island Cool, and vendors selling T-shirts and Pickleball memorabilia. Tournament results can be found by visiting: 2025 Founders Tournament

Some material courtesy of the Bainbridge History Museum. Photos by Kevin Dwyer.

If you’d like to read more articles from The Island Wanderer Blog website, click here, to subscribe to The Island Wanderer Blog, click here.

ADVERTISE WITH US! We offer exceptional rates and packages for advertisers, to learn more, contact us at Contact Us | THE ISLAND WANDERER