around the post by JENNIFER LUCORE & ALEX HAMNER
PHistory of the Paddle Tap
“ Paddle tapping ” occurs when a game is over , and all the players come to the net and tap their paddles with their partners and opponents in a gesture of saying “ Good game .” It ’ s a sportsmanship move that is beautifully unique to pickleball .
We did a little research into this custom and what we found may surprise you ! According to David McCallum , son of one of the game ’ s founders , Barney McCallum , there was no paddle tapping in pickleball ’ s beginning — sportsmanship consisted of a little goodnatured trash talking among friends and family !
Pickleball Hall of Famer Steve Paranto has been playing in pickleball tournaments since 1974 . “ We started tapping paddles early on after every game because we didn ’ t have enough courts and people were waiting to play , so after every game we all walked off the court to let the next players on . So , it was like ‘ See you later , nice game .’”
Senior pro Chris Miller remembers paddle taps occurring at local tournaments in the early 1990s during social and tournament play .
We ’ re going on our 15th year of playing pickleball and since day one , at the start of every match — whether tournament or not — we meet at the net to tap paddles and wish “ Good luck and have fun ” to each other and our opponents . It was how we were taught when we began the sport , and we continue tapping to this day .
Stacie Townsend of Pickler says , “ I hope the paddle tap is here to stay after each and every game , as it is an outward symbol of the core culture of the sport of pickleball and one that makes it unique amongst the rest .” We wholeheartedly agree ! •
Alex Hamner and Jennifer Lucore began playing and competing in pickleball in 2010 and have both been inducted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame . They are on the Board of Directors at Naples Pickleball Center , the Pickleball Capital of the World . They are best known for winning Women ’ s Open Doubles at Nationals for four consecutive years ( 2011-2014 ). For more pickleball fun , visit Jennifer ’ s blog at allpickleball . com .
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