Poulsbo Joins The Pickleball Frenzy
Pickleball Kingdom features a dozen indoor courts
By Kerrie Houston Reightley April 8, 2025
There’s more good news on the Pacific Northwest pickleball horizon for those who can’t get enough. The sister-brother team of Mara and John Hylton recently converted 31,500 square feet of former OfficeMax and Big 5 space into Poulsbo Pickleball Kingdom PPK, a venue featuring 12, luxurious, climate-controlled, brightly lit indoor courts, as well as onsite catering. The facility opened last weekend.
The Hyltons have secured 21 franchise licenses for Pickleball Kingdom, including in Seattle, Lynnwood, Bellevue, Vancouver, Wash., and the Tri Cities. Pickleball Kingdom, headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, three years ago, has more than 400 locations.
The greater Seattle area is quickly becoming the epicenter of pickleball, with several major pickleball centers set to open soon, including: The Picklr, which will open in the Fremont neighborhood this fall; and Picklewood, set to open this summer in SODO.
Pickleball, of course, was founded on Bainbridge Island in 1965. Two years ago, then-Gov. Jay Inslee declared pickleball the official sport of Washington state. It is the fastest-growing sport in the United States.
As for me, a lifelong competitive tennis player, I’m admittedly becoming a fan. Will I give up my USTA rating that has fluctuated between 4.0 and 4.5 for decades? And give up my leopard-print Don Jo “Flirty” tennis skirts and hot pink racer-back tops for a traditional pickleball outfit of long-sleeved shirts, leggings and a cap? I don’t know.
What I do know is that I’ve witnessed the dark side. And I like it.
Follow Us
Seattle Founders Rethink the Weighted Vest
After getting into rucking, two business-minded friends grew frustrated by gear that seemed to cater to men. So they decided to create their own.
Esther Sedgwick and Courtney Bigelow’s idea for their Seattle-based fitness equipment brand, The Carry, came from a simple frustration: they couldn’t find a weighted vest that worked for them. “We fell in love with the workout,” Sedgwick explains of the duo’s experience with rucking, which is, in its simplest terms, putting some weight on your…
More Than a Game: How Soccer Became a Seattle Research Project
At the Global Sport Lab, students use sports to explore international relations and evaluate community influence.
Like many Pacific Northwest kids, Sam Hurst, ’27, grew up a competitive player deeply embedded in local soccer culture. As a preteen in his Oregon elementary school, he ran a cost-benefit analysis of being a national host of the FIFA World Cup. Just for fun. Fast-forward a decade or so, and last year the University…
Seattle Pride Meets the World Cup
A star-studded video campaign celebrates the LGBTQ+ community ahead of the June 26 match at Lumen Field.
Last year, when Michi Suzuki was contacted about getting involved with Seattle’s FIFA World Cup 26 Local Organizing Committee—and specifically, the Pride+ Match Impact Council—she didn’t even have to think twice before saying yes. As a local PR firm owner, longtime soccer player, and member of the LGBTQ+ community, Suzuki saw the opportunity as a…
World Cup: Get Set in Pioneer Square
This summer, Seattle’s oldest neighborhood becomes the center of the city’s soccer action.
Pioneer Square is the Seattle neighborhood closest to the stadium where Seattle’s six World Cup matches will occur. The area’s constant reinvention makes it one of the most exciting places to hang out, soccer events or not. Whether you’re planning to attend a match or just want to be where the action is, it’s always…