Kate Van Gent

Kate Van Gent found pickleball during the 2020 Covid pandemic. The pilates studio she used had closed, and like everyone else, she was isolated from friends and social interaction. She regularly found herself relocated to the sofa near the TV, spoon and ice cream in hand.

She saw a post on Nextdoor suggesting pickleball and thought it could be a way to get off the couch. She weighed the pros and cons:

• It was outdoors.
• They’d be distanced.
• It would be fun to get out.
• The only con was she had no idea how to play.

 

“Luckily, the group all turned out to be new to the sport. We even laughed and joked as we figured it out together slowly,” she said.

As with so many exposed to the sport, the benefits came fast for Van Gent. She was soon feeling better both mentally and physically.

Van Gent fell in love with the game and started playing all the time. She became part of a neighborhood lady’s group and as Covid restrictions lifted, attended camps. The female group was a fantastic experience for Kate and led to a change in her outlook.

The pickleball experience was empowering and it got her thinking about just how vital these skills are for people to encounter and embrace.

“I remember hearing a wearepickleball.com podcast that you have to think about yourself as an athlete. The beauty of pickleball is this may be the first time you have done so. When you think of yourself as an athlete and start respecting your body and mind, you prep them to succeed.”

Van Gent began playing regularly, constantly trying to improve her game. She was playing so often, her husband joked he was losing her to pickleball.

But a chance encounter occurred. Van Gent was about to become a part of determining the future of the game in Washington State.

Senator John Lovick, D-Mill Creek

“I had just returned from a camp and saw someone at my door. He walked down the driveway, and I rolled down the window. It was Representative John Lovick, campaigning. I was a longtime voter of his, and I immediately apologized for my appearance. I explained that I was playing pickleball all day,” she said.

The Representative exclaimed, “Pickleball! We are looking for someone to help us with a pickleball bill.”

He explained to her that he needed help developing a bill targeting pickleball to become the state sport in Washington. The only problem was the Senators and Representatives didn’t know much about the game.

“I’ll help you,” she said. Van Gent already felt so attached to pickleball that the idea she could do something to grow the sport to enable more people to enjoy it was a no-brainer. She had just three days to assemble a team and get to work. Meetings and promoting the bill whenever possible became her team’s new routine. She would play less pickleball, but still, she felt good that she was honoring the game created in Washington State in a special way.

“I’m doing this work, so future people don’t have to. I am engaging in government because I want a young woman to feel like I did when I hit my best shot. I want them to feel their joy when they become the best version of themselves, which is what pickleball has the power to do.”

Van Gent referred to her team as a thinktank, and they took on the mission of convincing 49 Senators and 98 House Representatives to vote yes.

The bill was supposed to be introduced as a House bill, but a vacancy in the district senate seat led to Lovick being appointed senator around December 10, 2021. It led to a delay and reintroduction of the bill as a senate bill.

“I used the idea that tournaments could help restore the economy in speeches I made during my testimony in the house and senate committees. I verified the economic impact numbers through the Snohomish County Sports Commission. I knew it would not single-handedly restore the economy. But players would once again fill restaurants and hotels which had been emptied during the Covid years.

The Bill Passed

On March 28, 2022, 57 years after the sport was created, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed bill SB 5615, declaring pickleball as the official state sport of Washington.

After achieving success with the bill Van Gent told her husband they’d have more time together but he knew better than anyone knew that wasn’t her way. She was just getting started.

She became a board member of the Seattle Metropolitan Pickleball Association (SMPA). “The ideas of how to capitalize from the bill began to fly: more courts, public and private, pickleball into the schools, make sure the sport is accessible to anyone no matter how disenfranchised an area, age, income, nor any physical restriction,” she said.

She also began to see firsthand how much interest stirred once the bill passed.

“The Seattle Mariners hosted an evening of pickleball. Professional pickleball athletes Riley and Lindsey Newman signed Pickleball Night t-shirts and snapped photos with excited and smiling fans. Riley threw the first pitch. The Mill Creek police had a pickleball event. Alzheimer’s Association reached out for a fundraiser, and so did Microsoft,” she said.

Another chance meeting, another Bill​

“I drove up to Lake Chelan to play in a tournament. In a small cafe in Manson, SMPA director Amy Greger pitched the idea that SMPA sponsor a Washington State pickleball license plate bill. Naturally, I jumped at the chance because our state sport deserves a state license plate.”

The SMPA decided to become the 501c3 sponsor because , it is a rare opportunity to promote pickleball within the state of Washington on a massive scale.

“This bill honors Washington State, the birthplace of pickleball, as well as the founders of the sport, Bill Bell, Barney McCallum, and Joel Pritchard. It is a way to celebrate and share your love of Washington’s state sport of pickleball and the ingenuity of the Washingtonians who invented it.”

The Department of Licensing prices the plates based on development costs. Most of the specialty plates cost $40 to purchase and $30 per year to renew. The funds go into a trust and can be used only for a dedicated regional facility. The bill’s non-profit sponsor, Seattle Metro Pickleball Association, expects to raise $50,000 from proceeds in the first year, a fraction of the $1.6 million needed to build a large outdoor regional facility. Indoor would be better, but that cost is expected to be $3 to $4 million excluding land.

“SMPA hopes to attract donor matches and municipal cooperation. This facility will be capable of hosting regional and national tournament play and we hope it will encourage the establishment of new courts throughout Washington. I am working on building pickleball facilities throughout Washington State, in Snohomish and King Counties, Tulalip, Spokane, wherever and whomever I can help. The license plate bill is part of a statewide effort to get more pickleball courts in Washington, one of the most underdeveloped states in terms of pickleball courts,” she said.

When the bill passes, pickleball players will be able to display their pride for Washington’s state sport wherever they drive and contribute to the development of dedicated pickleball facilities throughout Washington.

Van Gent believes that one day Washington State will be one of the largest pickleball venues in America. She is proud to volunteer and sacrifice playing time to make that dream come true.