Since the sport was created in 1965, pickleball has spent most of its history within the more niche corners of the leisure sports world — the first official rulebook wasn’t even published until nearly 20 years after the sports creation in 1984 — but over the last several years pickleball has been exploding in popularity and is currently considered the fastest growing sport in America.

According to the USA Pickleball Association’s (USAPA) website the game was developed by future Washington State Congressman Joel Pritchard and family friend Bill Bell — Barney McCallum was introduced to the game the following weekend and is also credited as one of the game’s creators — as a way to keep their families entertained while vacationing on Bainbridge Island near Seattle.

Pritchard’s summer home had an unused badminton court on the property, but he was unable to locate a birdie or rackets, instead they began playing with old ping-pong paddles and a perorated plastic ball. Once it was discovered that the ball bounced well on the court’s concrete surface, the net was lowered to a height of 36 inches.

Unlike other racket sports the game draws inspiration from, pickleball is designed in a way to be accessible to all age ranges.

Kevin Howard said that he had always played tennis growing up, but was unable to stay competitive as he got older. Pickleball, on the other hand, allows Howard to remain a formidable opponent even when competing against players much younger than him.

“A 20-year-old can play with a 70-year-old. I’m almost 70 and can play a competitive game, whereas with tennis you couldn’t do that,” Howard said after a match at the Ingle Park pickleball courts. “The older you get, this game’s much easier on your body because the court’s a lot smaller and you don’t have to run as much.”

The official dimensions of a regulation pickleball court are 20 by 44 feet and features two square areas of play and a 7-foot zone on either side of the net, referred to as the “kitchen.” Volleying — hitting the ball before it bounces — is prohibited within the kitchen zone, reducing the area a player needs to cover. Playing in pairs of two reduces this even further.

That’s not to say that a few rounds of pickleball won’t work up a sweat. Considered to be a moderate intensity workout, pickleball is on par with activities such as yoga or hiking and over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many American’s turned to the sport as a way to stay active while socially distancing from others. Unofficially referred to as the “pandemic pastime” the USAPA reports between 2020 and 2021, pickleball experienced its largest single growth year to date, and a 2022 report from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, shows that 4.8 million Americans are involved with the sport.

Dakota Aaron, another local pickleball enthusiast, said unlike other forms of exercise, he “doesn’t want to quit” playing after stepping onto the court.

“Other forms of exercise like running on the treadmill are just boring, and you don’t want to do it, you have to make yourself. When you’re out here though, it doesn’t feel like working out,” he said.

It’s not only growing in popularity with older crowds either. Due in part to its accessibility, the USAPA reports its fastest growing demographic is those under the age of 24, and popular culture has taken notice of this younger group of players.

In November, talkshow host Stephen Colbert hosted Pickled, a celebrity pickleball tournament on CBS featuring players such as Dierks Bentley, Will Ferrell and Emma Watson amongst others. Kim Kardashian has even squared off against her sister Khloe in a doubles match on an episode of their reality show Keeping up with the Kardashians. High-profile athletes such as LeBron James and Tom Brady have recently invested in professional pickleball teams and major brands like Anheuser-Busch, Sketcher and Carvana have now signed pickleball deals. Even the fashion industry has taken notice of the sport’s popularity with a $90,000 pickleball set being offered from Louis Vuitton.

The set of paddles purchased by Mike Benson may not have a Louis Vuitton logo stitched onto the handle, but after his 6-year-old son Deacon noticed the groups playing on the courts at the Donald Green Active Adult Center, Benson decided to try the sport with his son.

“We just started watching people play when we would come to the playground over here and he [Deacon] said that he thought it looked like fun. We actually just came from Walmart, where I got these paddles so this is the first time we’ve ever been out here,” Benson said during a recent trip to Ingle Park.

If Howard’s description of the game is accurate though, there will be many more outings on the pickleball court for the Benson family.

“It’s highly addictive. I mean everyone I talk to says that after they start playing, they’re hooked.”

The Cullman County Public Library has pickleball sets available for check out. Borrow them from the library for free to see if you have an interest in the sports before you commit to a purchase.