At Loomis Chaffee, one of the newest intramural sports is club pickleball, which started in the fall of 2024, and has since gained a lot of popularity.
The sport of Pickleball was first created in 1965 by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum for their children to play. According to the Washington State Magazine, Joel’s wife, Joan, came up with the name pickleball because of pickle boats in crew races, but there are other theories, such as the game being named after the family’s dog, Pickles.
The sport gained a massive surge of popularity during the COVID era and has since become one of the fastest-growing sports in America and around the world. Naturally, it made sense for Loomis to start a club team.
Many wonder how pickleball differs from tennis and other racket sports. A pickleball court is much smaller than a tennis court, and the net is raised at a different height. Pickleball also requires players to use a paddle and a wiffleball. Another notable difference is that pickleball has a no-volley zone, which is called the kitchen.
Catherine Havens ‘27, a participant of the after-school pickleball practices, reflected on her daily experience. “A typical practice starts with greeting Ms. Carroll, our coach, and then heading over to our courts to play for about thirty minutes. We then take a break and play for about another 15 minutes.”
Since pickleball is a club sport, practices last forty-five minutes. Despite its short practice duration, it’s a wonderful opportunity for students to be outside and get some exercise.
Lily Glasser ’27, a first-year pickleball player, shares a positive sentiment about having started the sport: “I have so much fun with my friends at pickleball! One of my favorite memories was when we were all playing and Ms. Carroll came to join us. We had some music playing and the weather was great, and we had a consistent rally going for about ten minutes.”
Sophia Walters ‘27, a second-year pickleball player, stated: “I started playing pickleball because I wanted a change from the sport I did my freshman year, and I wanted to try something new. I came back again in my junior year because it was so fun, I had to do it again. It is also a very flexible sport, and the coaches really encourage us and want us to play, but it’s also very relaxed at the same time. It is just a fun way for me to socialize with my friends, while being outside and getting some exercise.” Sophia also gives credit to the coaches, Ms. Carroll and Mr. Williams: “They are amazing and have really encouraged me to… love showing up to practice every day.”
So whether students are looking to serve up something new or just rally with friends, pickleball might just be the perfect match for our pelicans.
