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There’s a growing appetite for a game in which staying out of the kitchen can be a winning recipe.

A couple dozen people of all ages got their first taste of pickleball, the nation’s fastest growing sport, during a special two-hour beginner’s clinic on the Shelter Bay community’s lower courts Saturday morning.

It was clear a good time was had by all.

“Pickleball is so much fun,” confirmed clinic instructor Barb McGrady. “I know a lot of people who got addicted to pickleball after playing it for the first time.”

Herself included.

McGrady, of Mount Vernon, is a USA Pickleball Association ambassador who grew up playing tennis in high school and college. She is among the legion of Baby Boomers who have transitioned to pickleball, a unique blend of ping-pong, badminton, and tennis with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest.

The game started in the mid-1960s at the Bainbridge Island home of Joel Pritchard, who would later serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and as Washington state’s Lt. Governor.

The story goes that Pritchard and two friends returned from golf one Saturday to find their families bored. They tried setting up a backyard badminton game but couldn’t find a birdie. They lowered the net, improvised with a Whiffle Ball, and fashioned paddles of plywood from a nearby shed.

Pritchard’s wife, Joan, gave the game its distinctive name, saying it reminded her of the “pickle boat” in crew where oarsmen are chosen from the leftovers of other boats.

Their new sport, with its emphasis on participation, proved an instant hit.

“The Pritchards wanted a game that the kids could play with grandma and grandpa,” said Randi Freidig, among the avid pickleball players who helped McGrady run the local clinic.

The Shelter Bay turnout ranged from incoming La Conner Middle School eighth grader Josie Harper to retirees proudly bearing the scars of past knee surgeries.

It’s a trend seen all over America, where tennis surfaces – such as those at Shelter Bay – are being modified to include pickleball space to keep pace with the sport’s burgeoning popularity.

Freidig, who has a background in tennis and squash, is hopeful pickleball will someday be introduced in La Conner schools to start young enthusiasts, given its value as a lifetime activity, with players in their 80s and 90s not uncommon.

At Shelter Bay, doubles action is now a thrice-weekly event. The sound of wooden paddles striking Whiffle Balls has become one of the more familiar signs that summer is literally in full swing here.

Unlike tennis and golf, which generally require long hours of practice to master, pickleball can be picked up rather quickly.

“It’s a game,” Freidig said, “that you can practice or play two or three times a week.”

Bob Cole, another of McGrady’s volunteer coaches, said he began playing just eight months ago. In that short time, he has developed an instinctive feel for when to avoid entering the kitchen – the so-called no-volley zone seven feet from the net – and how to keep from elevating quick shots that opponents can convert to return smashes.

“You can pick it up quick,” he said. “The big thing is to be calm. You have more time to get to the ball than you realize. And finesse is so huge in this game. It definitely goes a long way in pickleball.”

Those taking part in the Shelter Bay clinic were introduced to serving, volleying, scoring and strategy – all in user-friendly portions. The sense of camaraderie present in pickleball was apparent from the start.

Two hours passed quickly, with several at the clinic asking if court time for beginners can be set aside going forward.

Cole, for one, said he would be willing to help tutor the wave of new local pickleball players. He wasn’t alone.

“It was a great turnout here today,” said Colleen Nelson, who taught shot-making on Saturday. “It was really something to get here and see all the people wanting to learn the game.”