West OC Times

Senator Janet Nguyen (R-Huntington Beach) has issued a resolution designating Aug. 8 as California Pickleball Day due to the growing popularity of the sport in the United States.

With more than 3.3 million participants worldwide, National Pickleball Day was created four years ago and is celebrated every Aug. 8. Senator Janet Nguyen aims for California to have its own holiday and authored SR 108, which has 16 Senate coauthors.

“This appears to be the hottest sport in California right now – leagues have cropped up everywhere. I’m sure everyone knows somebody who plays pickleball,” Senator Janet Nguyen said. “California is the epicenter of sports 12 months a year. So it’s only fitting that we have our own Pickleball Day.”

Although pickleball seems like a relatively new sport, it was actually created in 1965 by a Washington state congressman and a businessman. The pair lacked equipment to play badminton, so they used table tennis paddles and a perforated plastic ball, lowering the net to the height of a tennis net.

The sport gained traction in Washington, leading to the first tournament in 1976. The USA Pickleball Association was established in 2005 and held its first national tournament five years later. The game now boasts an official rulebook and standardized equipment, with potential for future inclusion as an Olympic sport.