Why call it pickleball?
Pickleball has a very interesting name, especially since no pickles are used. Accounts of how the name originated differ.
(1)According to Joel Pritchard’s wife (Joan), she started calling the game pickleball because “the combination of different sports reminded me of the pickle boat in rowing where the crew were chosen from the leftovers of other boats”.
(2) However, according to Barney McCallum, the game was officially named after the Prichards’ dog Pickles who would chase the ball and run off with it. According to McCallum, “The Pritchards had a dog named Pickles, and you’re having fun at a party, right? So anyways, what the hell, let’s just call it pickleball.”
Others claim both accounts may actually be true. In the early years, no official name was assigned to the game. However a year or two after the game was invented, the Pritchards purchased a cocker spaniel and named it Pickles. As the game progressed, an official name was needed and “pickleball” was it.
Resource: Pickleball BC
Click on the link below to watch a 14 minute YouTube to learn how pickleball got started.