PICKLEBALL JAMBOREE’S MOST COVETED PRIZE—AN ORIGIN STORY

The Pickleball Jamboree is a collaborative event fuelled by competition and creativity. Each new Jamboree deconstructs pickleball to its essence, before reconstructing it one rally at a time—one new idea at a time. The Jamboree was created, in many ways, to challenge pickleball’s established orthodoxy.

Sandra Herd responded to the coaches’ challenge to create a more interesting and meaningful object than the most cliched of all tournament objects: the mass produced pickleball medal.

What Sandra created was beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. A cross between an Oscar, the Stanley Cup, and an Anne Leigh Waters Fraggle. To hold a Jamboreenie is to hold an object with a spirit. A kind of creature. Teams that win a Jamboreenie become stewards of that Jamboreenie. They take it to their home courts in the off season. Place it on their car dashboards. Sleep with it beside their bed. And eventually, they put it on the line at the next Jamboree—for any team to claim.


PBJ: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR INSPIRATION?

SANDRA HERD: Jamboreenie came into being some time after you asked about the merit badges. I had a broken ball in my hand. I basically just thought, this could be a trophy guy. Simple as that. I make props and puppets so it’s not uncommon for me to envision ‘things’ as creatures. Then I just started puzzling through how and playing with stuff I had in my house from puppet and prop making day—eyes, noses, hair. 

Then I had to figure out how to make him stand. 

PBJ: WHAT MATERIALS DID YOU USE?

SH: I was cruising through the dollar store and saw these packages of kids’ party favours. They were plastic bats with an elastic string and ball attached. A vision of them as shoes for the base popped in my head. Took them home, traced out some felt ‘shoe pieces’, poked some holes, laced with a piece of wool I had and glued them on. Base solved. 

I tried making pickleballs out of the balls attached to the bats but they weren’t great and I happened to have a bag of cheap dollar store pickleball key chains and so I used those balls. 

PBJ: ALL FROM THE DOLLAR STORE?

SH: I still needed a paddle. I chatted with a wood worker friend and showed him pics from Etsy of little wood paddle shapes. He made me some. ❤️ I painted them black, then cut tiny strips of coloured electric tape to wrap the handles. I printed some black backed signs on label paper and cut to fit the paddles. 

Attaching the paddles and balls was easy with braided pipe cleaners. 

PBJ: WE’VE GOT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE HAIR?

SH: Yes I was trying to capture Chris’s hair look!

The hair was the hardest. All I had was brown curly and it was a challenge to secure it because I couldn’t attach inside and had to bring it back outside. Tiny elastics helped and lots of patience. And glue guns rule!

PBJ: WHAT DO YOU HOPE HAPPENS TO EACH JAMBOREENIE?

SH: I hope people enjoy their Jamboreenies and that they make them smile and encourage fond recollections of their Jamboree and pickleball in general.

PBJ: THANK YOU SO MUCH, SANRDA!