I guess if you’re reading this newsletter, it comes as no surprise that pickleball is the fastest-growing sport. But the length & breadth of its dominance seems to know no bounds.

For the FOURTH year in a row, pickleball has been officially deemed the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. with a staggering 311% growth over the past three years.

That’s according to the 2025 SFIA - Sports & Fitness Industry Association Topline Participation Report.

But the US is far from the only country contributing to pickleball’s growth…

…Ukraine Has Entered the Chat

Ukraine just became the 60th member nation of The Global Pickleball Federation (GPF).

Essentially, this means pickleball just took one step closer to Olympic recognition.

GPF is the not-for-profit world governing body trying to get pickleball into the Olympic Games, and with Ukraine’s addition, the federation now meets a key requirement for International Olympic Committee compliance—having at least 60 national federations under their umbrella.

But for Ukraine, this membership is about more than just competition.

Ukraine is the ninth European country in the federation, reinforcing pickleball’s global expansion across the continent.

The GPF’s goal is to secure pickleball’s inclusion in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

Full story here.

Wrist or No Wrist?

BRING THIS TO THE COURT: There’s a lot of misunderstanding surrounding the use of wrists in pickleball, so let me clear it up for you in a half-sentence…

…Keep a stationary wrist on anything “soft” in pickleball.

For dinks, resets, and drops—where precision is key—you really want to minimize the entirety of your movement, especially at a bodily pivot point like the wrist. A stable wrist prevents pop-ups and keeps your shots consistent.

Conversely: use your wrist for power & spin.

On rolls and flicks, wrist action is not only helpful, it’s part of the technique. Here, the extra movement generates spin and speed. When the ball is above net height, snapping your wrist can add topspin…it just takes a bit of practice to master.

BURN THIS into your brain — the sooner you do, the better shots you’ll make:

✅ Use wrist action for power shots like serves, drives, and putaways.

❌ Avoid wrist flicks on soft shots and defensive plays to maintain control.

🎯 Practice both techniques to develop a balanced, reliable game.

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Dog or Boat? Pickleball’s Name Has ONE Origin

Pickleball’s name has been debated for decades, but the real story is finally clear.

Since the game’s creation in 1965, two theories have dominated:

• The Dog Theory claims the game was named after the Pritchard family’s dog, Pickles, who supposedly chased stray balls.

• The Boat Theory, however, points to Joan Pritchard—wife of co-inventor Joel Pritchard—who likened the game to “pickle boats” in rowing, where leftover oarsmen from different crews were grouped together much like different racquet sports’ rules came together to form pickleball.

While the dog story is cute, facts favor the boat.

The Pritchard family has repeatedly stated that Pickles the dog wasn’t around when the game was named—he came later and was actually named after the sport. USA Pickleball’s research even suggests Pickles wasn’t born until 1968, three years after pickleball’s creation.

So why does the dog myth persist? According to USAP, Joel Pritchard and fellow co-founder Barney McCallum agreed to tell the dog story in the ‘60s after a journalist suggested it was more memorable. Joan, however, was not happy with the change!

Even Joel later admitted the boat story was true, while Barney stuck to the dog tale for the rest of his life.

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