The Story
One night, Jim dreamed up a new sport — a hybrid of ping pong and pickleball unlike anything that existed. The next morning, he was in his garage with nothing but a cardboard box. He cut three identical holes in the middle so he could see the ball through the net. Mid-volley, someone accidentally hit the ball through one of the holes. Everyone cheered. The rules started writing themselves.
From cardboard, Jim found a company to build a clear acrylic prototype. Ironically, he held this up by two duct-tape-wrapped bricks on each side. Then came polycarbonate. Six prototypes later, the Pickle Pane was real.
When his son Matthew came home for the Fourth of July, they played four hours straight the first night. Matthew saw what this could become and wasn’t going to let it stay in the garage.
Over the next two years they refined the rules, solved the support problem, and landed on the breakthrough — the Ricochet Rule. Miss the Pickle Jar and the solid Pane sends the ball right back. One more chance, or an automatic point if you put it through. A rule unique to any net sport in the world. The game never stopped.
In January 2025, as the LA fires displaced families across Southern California, Jim’s other son Daniel and his wife Liz came to San Diego to stay with Matthew. The first official prototype had just arrived. Nobody planned a session, it just happened. Daniel and Liz experienced the Ricochet Rule for the first time on a real Pane, and nobody wanted to stop. Liz even mentioned, “Now that TripleP exists, why would I ever play normal ping pong again?!” Jim and his wife Barb made the trip out shortly after. Hours of play, rematches nobody asked for but everyone wanted.
What started as a garage dream at Crooked Lake in Indiana has been shaped by an entire family. Brothers, sisters, in-laws, nieces and nephews from first grade to fresh out of college — Alivia, Alex, Anthony, Ashton, Brayden, and Brianna — have all logged hours as play testers, critics, and believers. Along the way, the family brought everything they had: coaching, teaching, DIY ingenuity, web design, development, IT management, marketing, music, and entrepreneurship. This is a family-built sport in every sense.
Jim Rousseau has spent over 40 years coaching and teaching — reading players, building games, and understanding what makes competition fun. Now he knew: this wasn’t an accessory. This was a new sport. This was TripleP.
PicklePanePong™ — TripleP — is now a patent-pending sport, designed and manufactured in Indiana, built by a family that can’t stop playing it.
How It Works
Set it up in minutes. The Pickle Pane ships in three pieces that lock into the top and bottom Pane Rails. Attach the legs with a simple thumbscrew — no tools required. Place it where your net would be, and you’re ready to play.
Fill the Pickle Jar to determine who serves. Stand behind the end of the table and bounce the ball through a Pickle Jar on the first bounce. Make it and your opponent has to match you — or you serve first.
Serve underhand over the Pane without bouncing on your side. Receiver lets it bounce, server lets it bounce, then anything goes.
Four shots available every rally:
- Bounce it off your side and return
- Volley it in the air
- Aim through a Pickle Jar for bonus Pickle Points
- Let it ricochet off the Pane — and take one more shot
Pickle Points keep every rally interesting. Hit through a Pickle Jar and earn a bonus point at the end of the rally, regardless of who won it. The team with more Pickle Points takes the difference. Both teams hit the same? That’s a Pickle Poof — they cancel out.
Choose your scoring format. Standard scoring plays to 11 — only the server scores. Rally scoring plays to 21 — every rally counts. Either way, the Big Dill awaits at match point if the score is tied.
Learn the lingo. TripleP comes with its own language — Pickleese. A shot through the jar is a Pickle. A jar shot your opponent can’t return is a Spicy Pickle. A jar shot that misses the table is a Sour Pickle. And when you’re one point from winning, say: “You’re in a Pickle.”
15+ variations. Once you’ve mastered the standard game, there’s a whole world of formats to explore.
THE ASK
We’re bringing TripleP from Crooked Lake in Indiana to tables everywhere — and we need your help to do it.
Back us today as a Founding Player and lock in your Pane at our Kickstarter-exclusive price — available while supplies last during this campaign.
The table is waiting. The Pane is ready. All you need is someone to play.
