The hero who challenged me to enter the racket sport industry embodies all that is exciting and new for all the other heroes wishing to feel athletic, connected & successful in a game over six decades long suddenly blooming worldwide.

The original roots of pickleball gameplay started with repurposing badminton equipment. And like the beginnings of badminton that was exclusively for enlisted soldiers in India, I too, focused on repurposing old technology for the recreation of family members similar to Bainbridge Island vacations for the originators of the sport.

The rackets evolved through a background in sculpture with plenty of guidance from friends. The concept of using rattan from the climbing palm was at the onset a pencil sketch-to-computer rendering that worked so well that after the first hand carving tools and Elmer’s white glue prototype, all it took to set the idea aflame was a passersby that expressed; “I would buy that!” The guidance by friends with their individual experience and comments from other passersby solidified my intent to keeping natural materials in the forefront of design solutions. And research coincided with exploration making molds, jigs and the time consuming learning curve hurtles with power-woodworking acquisitions.

Speaking of learning curves, the saving grace of the question about when a work is in or nearing completion is the <work is probably not ready at the fifth mistake but is more likely at the eighth> assured me of my wellbeing along the process! I do use books as guides too. (references, wait for it)

For those future heroes, my hopes are that I did go too far in my design intentions!

~ Michael Taylor-Sullivan