Bill Gates: "I’m a Pickler!"

JUST DINK IT

Fifty years ago, I started playing this little-known sport with a funny name. Now, it’s all the rage.

One of my favorite pastimes is now America's fastest-growing sport. 

I’ve been a “Pickler,” as people obsessed with the game like me are known, for more than 50 years. (Short Video)

And if you and your family are bored and looking for something to do this summer, I encourage you to become one too.

Boredom was what got this sport started in 1965.

Three dads living on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, came home one summer evening to find their children complaining that there was nothing for them to do. So, they found a net, a Wiffle ball, some ping-pong paddles, and created a game on an old badminton court that the entire family could play together.

It was a hit.

Over the next year, the three friends worked together to develop a set of rules, formalize the court layout, and introduce a larger plywood paddle that was good for striking the ball. And they decided to call it pickleball. (The name’s origins remain a matter of debate. Some believe it was named after a dog. Others say it’s a reference to a “pickle boat,” a thrown together boat made from the leftover rowers in crew races. I don’t know. I prefer to just play the game and stay out of the fray.)

Meanwhile, word slowly spread in Seattle of this odd new pastime.

My dad was friends with the game’s inventors, Joel Pritchard, a state legislator and later Washington’s lieutenant governor, Barney McCallum, and Bill Bell. He learned about their creation and by the late 1960s, he got inspired to build a pickleball court at our house. I’ve been playing ever since. (Read More)

MLP Series: Beer City Open

 

Team Amber /Team Lager 3:14:51 Anna Bright/Irina Tereschenko vs Simone Jardim/Lauren Stratman 3:33:03 JW Johnson/Kyle Yates vs Dylan Frazier/DJ Young 3:55:21 Anna Bright/Kyle Yates vs Simone Jardim/DJ Young Team Stout/Team Pilsner 4:28:20 Jorja Johnson/Andrea Koop vs Vivienne David/Jackie Kawamoto 4:50:38 Dekel Bar/Julian Arnold vs Zane Navratil/Andrei Daescu 5:12:03 Jorja Johnson/Julian Arnold vs Vivienne David/Zane Navratil Team Pilsner/Team Lager 5:41:26 Vivienne David/Jackie Kawamoto vs Simone Jardim/Lauren Stratman 6:14:24 Zane Navratil/Andrei Daescu vs Dylan Frazier/DJ Young 6:33:18 Jackie Kawamoto/Andrei Daescu vs Lauren Stratman/Dylan Frazier 6:51:26 Vivienne David/Zane Navratil vs Simone Jardim/DJ Young

2022 APP Beer City Open: Doubles

 

0:06 Jenna Hessert/Tatiana Ruhl vs Simone Jardim/Andrea Koop 1:01:04 Lee Whitwell/Michelle Esquivel vs Megan Fudge/Lina Padegimaite 1:41:20 DJ Young/Zane Navratil vs Dave Weinbach/Dayne Gingrich 2:43:05 Jade Kawamoto/Jackie Kawamoto vs Simone Jardim/Andrea Koop 3:40:02 DJ Young/Zane Navratil vs Altaf Merchant/Austin Gridley 4:27:19 Parris Todd/Susannah Barr vs Simone Jardim/Andrea Koop 5:38:41 DJ Young/Zane Navratil vs Chuck Taylor/Dylan Frazier

Travis Rettenmaier/Gabriel Tardio vs Chuck Taylor/Dylan Frazier (Bronze)

JW Johnson/Dekel Bar vs Chuck Taylor/Dylan Frazier (Gold)

Parris Todd/Susannah Barr vs Irina Tereschenko/Lauren Stratman (Bronze)

Parris Todd/Susannah Barr vs Simone Jardim/Andrea Koop (Gold)

2022 USA Pickleball Beer City Open Playlist

Court 2

8:25 Travis Rettenmaier/Gabriel Tardio vs Andrei Daescu/Eden Lica 1:14:56 Mary Brascia/Maggie Brascia vs Irina Tereschenko/Lauren Stratman 1:48:32 Travis Rettenmaier/Gabriel Tardio vs Julian Arnold/Stefan Auvergne 3:17:57 Ryler DeHeart/Rafa Hewett vs Dave Weinbach/Dayne Gingrich 3:55:17 JW Johnson/Dekel Bar vs Julian Arnold/Stefan Auvergne

2022 APP Beer City Open: Pro Mixed Doubles

4:27 JW Johnson/Simone Jardim vs Jade Kawamoto/Altaf Merchant 57:38 Megan Charity/Dekel Bar vs Jackie Kawamoto/Rob Cassidy 2:14:25 Kyle Yates/Michelle Esquivel vs Zane Navratil/Andrea Koop 3:11:32 Megan Charity/Dekel Bar vs Anna Bright/James Ignatowich 4:32:19 Zane Navratil/Andrea Koop vs Maggie Remynse/Andrei Daescu

Zane Navratil/Andrea Koop vs Maggie Remynse/Andrei Daescu (Bronze)

Zane Navratil/Andrea Koop vs JW Johnson/Simone Jardim (Gold)

2022 USA Pickleball Beer City Open Playlist

2022 APP Beer City Open: Singles

 

4:25 Jenna Michelle Doffer vs Lauren Stratman 1:01:32 James Ignatowich vs JD Young 1:42:19 Jorja Johnson vs Jenna Michelle Doffer 2:34:15 Ryler Deheart vs Zane Navratil 3:04:44 JD Young vs Federico Staksrud 4:01:28 Parris Todd vs Jorja Johnson 4:47:52 Zane Navratil vs Dylan Frazier

Salome Devidze vs Jorja Johnson (Bronze)

Parris Todd vs Salome Devidze (Gold)

2022 USA Pickleball Beer City Open Playlist

Court #2 

Julie Johnson/Mircea Morariu vs Jose Derisi/Linda Thompson

The New Yorker: Can Pickleball Save America?

 

Published in the print edition of the July 25, 2022, issue, with the headline “One More Game.”

Listen to this story

As in politics, a few famous families dominate pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in America. One is the Johnsons, of Florida. In January, on a breezy afternoon in Boca Raton, J. W. Johnson, a strapping nineteen-year-old with short brown bangs and a leather necklace, took to the court for a semifinal match at a tournament. Johnson is taciturn, with an often impenetrable expression. 

He was seeded second in the tournament; his opponent, Zane Navratil, a twenty-six-year-old former C.P.A. from Wisconsin, was seeded first. Pickleball, a tennis-like sport played on a smaller court, places a gentle strain on the body, and both men had the oxygenated flush of a long day of exercise. 

They began by dinking—softly bouncing the ball back and forth—before Navratil, with gazelle-like grace, executed two snazzy moves at once: an Erne (which involved a flying leap) and a body shot (which involved hitting Johnson in the gut). He chuckled with contentment. Then, as a storm front moved in, the tide began to turn. “Wow, what an inside-out dink there from J. W. Johnson!” a commentator at a nearby media booth said. Johnson, jaw slack with concentration, took control. (Read More) 

Featured in the Article

• JW Johnson
• Julie Johnson
• Jorja Johnson
• Zane Navratil
• Ken Herrmann
• Ben Johns
• Collin Johns
• Hannah Johns
• Tom Dundon
• Byron Freso
• Joel Pritchard
• Bill Bell
• Barney McCallum
• Sid Williams
• Jay (Gizmo) Hall
• Connor Pardoe
• Steve Kuhn
• Rob Nunnery
• Riley Newman
• Leigh and Anna Leigh Waters
• Tyson McGuffin
• Dave Weinbach
• Rob Cassidy
• Dekel Bar
• Tim Klitch
• Joola
• David Kass
• Katherine Hedden

 

2022 APP Beer City Open Press

 

• Wood TV 8: The event is scheduled for July 20 to July 24. (April 8, 2022)
• Fox 17 WXMI
• Grand Rapids Magazine
• Wood TV8: 'Beer City Open' pickleball tournament starts Wednesday (July 19)
• MLive: Fourth annual Beer City Open pickleball tournament held at Belknap Park
• MLive: Beer City Open pickleball tournament hits Grand Rapids

2022 PPA STATS AT THE SUMMER BREAK

Pro Pickleball Stats Top Categories (January-June)

1. Match, Most Third Shot Drops:
   78, Callie Jo Smith, Womens, April 10, Red Rock. (plus 5 drives = 93% drops)
   10:57 WD: Lucy Kovolova/Callie Jo Smith vs Anna Leigh Waters/Leigh Waters #TeamWaters (Stats) 
2. Match, Most Third Shot Drives:
   35, Riley Newman, Mens, May 22, Atlanta. (plus 36 drops, 50%)
   4:03:18 Matt Wright/Riley Newman vs Ben Johns/Collin Johns (Stats)
3. Match, Highest Third Shot Drop Percentage:
   98%, JW Johnson, Mens, March 13, Riverland. (55 of 56)
   1:15:17 MD: Matt Wright/Riley Newman vs. JW Johnson/Dylan Frazier (Stats)
4. Match, Lowest Third Shot Drop Percentage (10 minimum):
   21%, Lucy Kovalova, Womens, May 8, North Carolina. (4 of 19)
   39:13 WD: Catherine Parenteau / Lea Jansen vs. Lucy Kovalova /Callie Smith (Stats)
   
   
5. Match, Clean Winners (no net cord, no opponent's paddle):
   31, Ben Johns, Mixed, April 10, Red Rock
   4:46:59 MxD: Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters vs Riley Newman/Catherine Parenteau (Stats)
   
6. Match, Speed-Up Winners (led directly to rally-ending shot):
   34, Ben Johns, Mixed, April 10, Red Rock
   4:46:59 MxD: Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters vs Riley Newman/Catherine Parenteau (Stats)
7. Match, ATPs:
   3, Matt Wright (Mens, March 13, Riverland) 
   1:15:17 MD: Matt Wright/Riley Newman vs. JW Johnson/Dylan Frazier (Stats)
   3, Riley Newman (Mixed, April 10, Red Rock) 
   4:46:59 MxD: Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters vs Riley Newman/Catherine Parenteau (Stats)
   3, Lucy Kovalova (Mixed, June 12, Orange County) 
   0:01 MxD: Lucy Kovalova/Matt Wright vs Anna Leigh Waters/JW Johnson (Stats, Stats 2)
   
   
8. Match, ERNEs:
   10, Tyler Loong, Mens, May 8, North Carolina.
   2:23:37 MD: Tyler Loong / Tyson McGuffin vs. Matt Wright / Riley Newman (Stats)
   
   
9. Match, Offensive Lobs:
   8, Matt Wright, Mens, May 22, Atlanta.
   2:08:34 MD: Riley Newman/Matt Wright vs. Ben Johns/Collin Johns (Analytics 1) (Stats) 
   
   
10. Longest Rally:
    82 shots, Mens, Feb 27, Nat'l Indoor.
    0:01 MD: Matt Wright/Riley Newman vs. Ben Johns/Collin Johns (Stats)
    
    
11. One Game, Most Shots:
    889. Mens, Feb 20, Mesa Arizona. 
    2:08:34 MD: Riley Newman/Matt Wright vs. Ben Johns/Collin Johns (Analytics 1) (Stats) (This game was 11-7 (Johns') and it averaged 15.8 shots per rally.)
    
    
12. One Game, Most Rallies:
    68 rallies, Womens, April 10, Red Rock 
    10:57 WD: Lucy Kovolova/Callie Jo Smith vs Anna Leigh Waters/Leigh Waters #TeamWaters (Stats)   (14-12 Kovalova and Smith).
    
    
13. Match, Most Shots:
    2,466, Mixed, April 10, Red Rock.
    4:46:59 MxD: Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters vs Riley Newman/Catherine Parenteau (Stats) (Johns and Waters won in 4 games. All three doubles finals that day surpassed 2,200 shots)
    
    
14. Match, Most Shots per Rally:
    14.37. Mens, Feb 20, Mesa Arizona. 2:08:34 MD: Riley Newman/Matt Wright vs. Ben Johns/Collin Johns (Analytics 1) (Stats)

2022 Consumer Cellular USA Pickleball Newport Beach Championships: Pro Mixed Doubles

 

11:44 Anna Bright/James Ignatawich vs Pablo Tellez/Maggie Brascia 1:17:31 Jorja Johnson/JW Johnson vs Mary Brascia/Federico Staksrud (Highlight, Highlight 2) 1:58:46 Parris Todd/Kyle Yates vs Cierra Gaytan-Leach/JD Young 3:05:00 Lauren Stratman/Julian Arnold vs Dylan Frazier/Sarah Ansboury 3:44:37 Jorja Johnson/JW Johnson vs Parris Todd/Kyle Yates 4:37:26 Mary Brascia/Federico Staksrud vs Parris Todd/Kyle Yates

Lauren Stratman/Julian Arnold vs Dylan Frazier/Sarah Ansboury (Bronze)

JW Johnson/Jorja Johnson vs Julian Arnold/Lauren Stratman (Gold)

• Anna Bright/James Ignatawich vs Dylan Frazier/Sarah Ansboury
• Federico Staksrud/Mary Brascia vs Hayden Patriquin/Jena Klett 

NML Blog: USA Pickleball Newport Beach Championships – 2 Takeaways

2022 Consumer Cellular USA Pickleball Newport Beach Championships: Pro Men's Doubles/Women's Singles

12:12 JD Young/Kyle Yates vs Julian Arnold/Hayden Patriquin 1:05:49 Warren Tamanaha /Moo Venkatesan vs Dave Weinbach/Dayne Gingrich 1:49:04 Anna Bright vs Megan Fudge 2:29:16 Dylan Frazier/JW Johnson vs Julian Arnold/Hayden Patriquin

3rd Shot Lob

2:57:10 Camryn Irwin Interviews Dylan Frazier and JW Johnson

3:03:50 JD Young/Kyle Yates vs Federico Staksrud/James Ignatowich 4:14:00 Megan Fudge vs Mary Brascia

MD: DJ Young/Kyle Yates vs Julian Arnold/Hayden Patriquin (Bronze)

MD: DJ Young/Kyle Yates vs JW Johnson/Dylan Frazier (Gold)

WS: Anna Bright vs Megan Fudge (Gold)

• Will MacKinnon 14/Justin Woo vs Denver Dubreuil/Sam Felton (Highlight, Highlight 2) Highlight Reel 26 minutes
• Warren Tamanaha/Moo Venkatesan vs Lucas Bellamy/Connor Hance (Vlog, Highlights)