Hearing a racket down at the courts? That might just be the new, fast-growing pickleball club led by the president, junior Logan Rand. The pickleball club is one of the newest additions to the many Woodgrove clubs that are accessible to all students. Pickleball is a new, yet popular sport that has been rapidly growing, and has been picked up by kids, adults, and senior citizens alike. This new sport has taken the world by storm because it is a variation of tennis and table tennis. Rand said, ”To be honest, I started the club so everyone had something fun to do during club time and really create a community and have a place where people could make new friends.”
Many people enjoy pickleball, so why not make it a club? Aidan Sphar, a junior and one of the leaders in the pickleball club, agreed that pickleball seems to be much easier than tennis, but it is still good exercise. The dimensions of the pickleball court and a tennis court are significantly different. A typical pickleball court is 20 feet by 40 feet, while a typical tennis court is 27 feet by 78 feet. Also, a regular pickleball does not fly as far as a tennis ball, making the game easier to play. These characteristics make the sport very easy to pick up and play with your friends. Spahr shared, “I’m just really excited to teach people who don’t really know how to play the ropes, and people that don’t really think it’s that fun of a sport, to finally get into the sport.”
There is a $10 fee to join the club, and that money gets put toward T-shirts, new nets, and paddles. The club also plans on getting sponsors from many different businesses. The club has been growing rapidly. They have already filled up their club sign-up space, but when they get more equipment they can open up more spots. “We are going to try to get 64 people in the club,” said Spahr. So if you are in a pickle trying to figure out your next club, email Logan Rand. Pickleball Club meets every other Thursday on the Blue Club days.