The pickleball league from The Center in Brainerd plays in Gregory Park beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesdays from May through October. Pickleball is a court sport played on a badminton-sized court, with a perforated plastic ball and composite or wooden paddles about twice the size of ping-pong paddles. "2020 marks the 55th anniversary of pickleball, as it was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, by three enterprising dads – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum. Their children were bored with their usual summertime activities. It evolved from the original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout North America and is now taking off in other parts of the world," USA Pickleball Association states on its website. Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in America.
