What pickleball is — and La Crosse's club

This page is written by an independent site. It is not the La Crosse Area Pickleball Club's website, does not speak for the club and cannot take memberships. Facts about the club come from published news and interviews listed in the sources.

What is pickleball?

Pickleball is a paddle sport that USA Pickleball describes as a blend of tennis, badminton and table tennis. It is played indoors or outdoors on a court about the size of a badminton court — 20 × 44 ft — with solid paddles and a perforated plastic ball, over a net 34 inches high at the center. It can be played as singles or doubles, and doubles is the most common.

The game was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, who improvised with ping-pong paddles, a perforated ball and a lowered badminton net to entertain their families. The origin of the name is disputed: Joan Pritchard said it came from the "pickle boat" in rowing, crewed by leftover oarsmen; another popular story credits the Pritchards' dog, Pickles, though the family and USA Pickleball say the dog arrived after the game was named.

The rules that make the sport distinctive are the underhand serve, the two-bounce rule and the non-volley zone or "kitchen." Our rules summary covers them in detail.

USA Pickleball in brief

USA Pickleball is the national governing body for the sport in the United States. It writes the official rules, approves paddles and balls for sanctioned play, sanctions tournaments and runs programs for new players. It was founded in 1984 as the United States Amateur Pickleball Association, reorganized in 2005 as the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) and adopted the name USA Pickleball in 2020. Its volunteer ambassadors help start and grow local play. More detail is on our USA Pickleball page.

The La Crosse-area club

Much of what is published about the club's early years comes from a 2019 interview with Jan Lucas, then the USA Pickleball (USAPA) ambassador for the Greater La Crosse area, in Pickleball Central's ambassador series. According to that interview:

• When she moved to La Crosse, the area had four dedicated courts and no USAPA ambassadors.
• After residents petitioned the city with 100 signatures, the city agreed to install six more courts with lighting.
• The club had grown to almost 300 members, with players coming from as far as about 30 miles away in Minnesota.
• Most members played recreationally. Drop-in play ran daily, and the club organized round robins and summer leagues, coordinating through the GroupMe app.
• Community events included the River Valley Paddle Battle round robin, demonstrations at a "Stepping Out in Pink" cancer fundraiser, and the club's first appearance at Riverfest, the city's annual festival, with one court in constant play and one for beginners.

Older community pages — festival listings and travel write-ups among them — still point readers to this address for background on how pickleball got started in the La Crosse area. This page now provides that background independently.

The club today

Growth continued after 2019. In July 2025, WKBT News 8 reported that the La Crosse Pickleball Club had grown to more than 400 members, and covered a "Legacy Night" held during the club's regular Ladies Night at The Blue Zone on Rose Street, where about 50 members honored two 88-year-old players as role models. Public court capacity has also grown: All Abilities Trane Park now has eight dedicated courts, and the city announced plans in May 2026 to double them to 16.

The club publishes its own schedules and membership information through its own channels. For public courts and venues, see where to play around La Crosse.

Key facts