Father-Son
Pickleball
Bond
Runs Deep
STEVE PARANTO AND HIS FATHER , ARLEN , REVOLUTIONIZED THE SPORT OF PICKLEBALL .
OHOP LAKE IN EATONVILLE , WASHINGTON , IN 1984 , WHERE STEVE AND ARLEN CREATED THE FIRST COMPOSITE PADDLE . by DREW WATHEY
Sports have a way of bringing families closer together , forging a bond that lasts a lifetime . Their games of choice spark friendly yet oftentimes intense competition , which ultimately leads to enduring love and admiration . And , for those lucky enough to reach the pinnacle of success , entry into their sport ’ s Hall of Fame , well then you truly have something special .
For Steve Paranto , the relationship he had with his late father , Arlen , was beyond special , it was extraordinary . “ I am an only child , and my dad was always my best friend and playmate in so many activities ,” said Steve . “ My dad taught me baseball , basketball , football , billiards , archery , fishing , golf , bowling … and we also competed together racing remote-control boats . Both Dad and I loved not only competing in sports , but we also appreciated watching professional sports .”
However , it was Steve who introduced Arlen to the sport of pickleball , and it wouldn ’ t be long before the elder Paranto turned his attention to the idea of tinkering with the paddles .
Arlen was his son ’ s biggest fan and would always watch Steve compete , even witnessing the men ’ s doubles final in 1976 in a tournament that is recognized as the first pickleball championship .
“ We were still using heavy wood paddles at that time , and I complained to my dad that the wood paddles didn ’ t need to be that heavy . I knew the weight ratio was way off compared to tennis , and I pretty much knew that he would mess around making a lighter paddle using another material and that is exactly what he did . A couple of weeks later he had two prototypes for us to try . As soon as we tried these paddles , we knew we had a much better paddle . Our hands were faster , and the sweet spot was much larger .
“ Dad was an engineer at Boeing , and he was actually the head of a cost saving division because he was always coming up with ways to improve products . That
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