Depending on the season some things naturally gain more popularity than others. Pickleball in particular comes to mind, given its sudden rise in popularity last summer. But despite popular belief, pickleball has been around for quite a while.

Pickleball is most popular among older demographics due to its simple and relaxing nature. It’s easy to start and continue pickleball, but what makes it fun is the difficulty in learning to master the sport. The sport also has a reputation for being much more laid back than its counterpart, tennis. With faster games and less intensity than tennis, the sport has become a perfect outlet for people who want to stay active in a fun and relaxed way. In pickleball, large gaps in playing skill are much more unlikely than with tennis which leads to a thriving pickup and open play culture due to its laidback structure. 

Pickleball is also a very sustainable and cheap sport compared to others. You can get on any pair of ratty tennis shoes, and you don’t need anything more special than a paddle and a racquet. With a ball that doesn’t need to be pressured or replaced regularly, pickleball uses equipment with less maintenance and as such has trickled down in popularity to teenagers and college students. The sport also appeals to various ages and is a low impact sport with a lesser chance of injury.  For these reasons, the sport has one of the fastest playership stats in the country with a rise in popularity of 21.3% from 2019-2020. 

However, the sport has some unpredictable downsides. Many people don’t enjoy the unique sound of a ball hitting a racquet in pickleball since it’s quite loud and a very clunky noise. And with that specific downside many people have filed lawsuits and complaints against the playing of pickleball in tennis courts. But otherwise the sport remains carefree and good-natured. With the rise of pickleball’s popularity, SLHS now has its very own pickleball club. 

“When we have meetings we just play pickleball and have music blasting… a bunch of people invite their friends so it feels like a giant hangout,” junior Emily Huang, the pickleball vice president, said. 

Though a very recent addition to the club roster at Seven Lakes, the club has had no problem thriving, with various fun events and competitions all related to pickleball. 

“It’s really fun because it’s like mini tennis,” Huang said. “The weird thing is, it used to be an old person sport but now it’s a popular sport that a lot of people play.”