Ping Pong is an international sport played at high speeds for players with incredible hand-eye coordination. Now, think bigger. Pickleball, a new sport introduced at Pennridge, is quickly rising to popularity. In recent years, pickleball has not only gained popularity but has given communities a new activity to be played for many years to come. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), a count of 5 million Americans were playing Pickleball. This statistic was said to be up 39% from 2019. More recently, the APP Tour’s Pickleball Participation Report in 2023 showed that there were 36.5 million players nationwide. Clearly, there’s a demand for this relatively new sport, which is why many schools, including The University of Mississippi, Florida State, and Calvert Hall College High School, have either implemented pickleball as a club or considered making it league-affiliated.
Not only is pickleball making an impact on the national level, but it’s even made a mark on the Pennridge Community. A few years ago, the Perkasie Township paved and placed six pickleball courts at Kulp Park, located on 2nd Street, and already, they’ve seen so much use. This implication to the Township of Perkasie has made our hometown more engaging and proactive. In addition to these new courts, Pennridge High School has had its very own use of it. Just last year, a few students led by Matt Seiler, president of the Pickleball Club, opened a club for people who wanted to play competitively. This club was constructed to expand our school’s sporting events and offer something fun for students. The club now meets about every month or so after school at Kulp Park.
With any school-associated club, there needs to be a faculty supervisor and no better person than Aaron Rapsinski. Rapsinski was clearly the best candidate for this position, considering he is the head coach for the boy’s tennis team. Tennis is very similar to pickleball, however, it’s larger and uses different equipment, including the racket, type of ball, and height of the net. In an interview, Rapsinski was asked about his overall experience with the club and felt very positive about the growing sport itself, despite offering that there needed to be improvements to the club. Rapsinski stated, “It’s been tough,” spiraling off the fact that the club doesn’t meet as much as it should. He feels that the club isn’t getting the time to grow, specifically in our school.
Working around a busy schedule isn’t easy, though with pickleball growing as a popular sport, you can always find time. Think of a pickup game of basketball, the concept of showing up and playing whenever you have time is a key contributor to the sport’s attention. The US holds over 13 thousand courts, and there are plenty of opportunities to get your blood movement going and have a great time playing a fun game with friends. An accurate example of a pickleball player who’s constantly busy is Brady Fish. Fish is already involved in a number of extracurricular activities, including volleyball, Key Club, and Student Council, yet he still finds time to play pickleball. Pickleball offers the ability to gain many new friends, as Fish explains, “I like the group of people associated with it.”
The uprising of pickleball shows off more than just a sport gaining popularity; it demonstrates enjoyable physical activities that promote healthy lifestyles, friendly competition, and an alternative to classical sports.
