Why Every School Should be Playing Pickleball

I have now been playing pickleball nonstop about four to seven days a week since last January. What I really love about the sport are the connections people make and how it truly brings communities together. Yes, I love the competition, and the learning aspect of the sport too, but meeting people and building connections has been such a great experience.

We now have about 50 people playing pickleball at our school. I have a pickleball club for students that meets once a week that has about 25 students playing regularly at school and we have about 25-30 faculty, staff, coaches, and administrators playing a minimum of two mornings a week.

We are a sixth grade through upper school institution with a middle school and an upper school that have very little cross over in terms of teaching or getting to know each other. Pickleball has brought us closer together and is continuing to foster community.

Last weekend was the ultimate pickleball mixer for our school. We had 25 teachers, coaches, staff, and administrators play on a Sunday together for three hours. We had Math teachers, English teachers, History teachers, our Tech department, our directors of the Middle School, coaches, and family members of some of our faculty playing, laughing, competing, and getting to know each other. It was such a great day.

It was so much fun seeing everyone build connections, get exercise, and play this great sport. We are going to have other mixers starting back in January and continue with our morning pickleball games.

I think every school should add pickleball to their professional development training and make it part of their culture.