Sweet or Sour, Pickleball Is Coming To Cedar City

Cedar City will soon have pickleball courts. If you’re like the many people who’ve asked me “What’s pickleball? Well, I can tell you that unfortunately actual pickles are not involved, I mean, unless you really want them to be. I won’t tell you how to live your life, pickles are delicious.  

Seriously though, pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America according to an article in Sports Illustrated. It grew even more during the beginning of the pandemic among players under 24. Also, in the same Sports Illustrated article because of the growth, it’s become very competitive and drama-filled behind the scenes. You can read more about the drama in the Sports Illustrated article linked here.  

USA Pickleball.org states that the game was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. It’s the creation of three dads who were trying to entertain bored kids. The three dads Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum constructed the game out of a patchwork of sports equipment that they had laying around. The name pickleball is said to come from “pickle boat” which is a hastily assembled rowing crew and the sport itself spent decades being confined to the Pacific Northwest.  

A 2022 article by CNN states that more than one million Americans have picked up pickleball in the last few years and between 2018-2021 USA Pickleball membership nearly doubled. The organization estimates 4.8 million Americans now play pickleball. 

Pickleball is growing in popularity around the world with the International Federation of Pickleball counting 60 member countries as it comes closer to the criteria for becoming an Olympic sport. With the growth of the sport domestically and internationally it’s really no surprise that pickleball courts are being built in Cedar City. 

The pickleball courts at Bicentennial Park are nearing completion. You can check Cedar City Leisure Services for more updates.