SENATE BILL 5615

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.”

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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)

Senate Bill 5615 Press Reports

1. Bill would declare pickleball the official state sport of Washington KXLY Spokane, WA December 29, 2021
2. Here's a sporting idea: Make pickleball the official state sport Mill Creek Beacon December 30, 2021
3. Local-led effort trying to make pickleball official state sport Everett Herald January 8, 2022
4. Bill would name pickleball official Washington state sport KING 5 News January 12, 2022
5. Pickleball to be Touted as the Official Sport of Washington State The Island Wanderer January 12, 2022 
6. State senators propose making pickleball Washington's official sport USA TODAY January 13, 2022
7. Legislature looks to honor pickleball’s Washington origins as official state sport The Spokesman-Review January 13, 2022
8. Pickleball Points: State senators propose making pickleball Washington's official sport Palm Springs Desert Sun  January 13, 2022
9. Governor Jay Inslee Press Conference January 13, 2022 Clip
10. What's happening with schools, snow, and... pickleball? We've got you covered KUOW Public Radio NPR January 14, 2022
11. Push to make pickleball the official state sport FOX 13 Seattle January 14, 2022