Current:Home > BackPickleball has taken the nation by storm. Now, it's become a competitive high-school sport-InfoLens
Pickleball has taken the nation by storm. Now, it's become a competitive high-school sport
View Date:2024-12-23 13:04:19
Pickleball has continued its rise as one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States among a younger demographic: high schoolers.
Several high schools in Maryland have added the racket sport as an option for athletes, allowing their students to join the pickleball team and compete against other schools.
Recently, Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore and Calvert Hall College High School in Towson, Maryland faced off in one of the first head-to-head, competitive pickleball matchups between high schools. Mount Saint Joseph won their first match and are preparing to face River Hill, a high school in Clarksville, Maryland.
"We want to work towards that multi-athlete. Kids that are playing baseball, lacrosse and tennis, to give them something to do in the winter. This is the sport," Mount Saint Joseph coach Michael Stromberg said.
Pickleball:Playing the sport on the Goodyear Blimp at 1,500 feet high? Yep, and here are the details
How popular is pickleball?
According to a study released by the Association of Pickeball Professionals (APP) in March, 48.3 million Americans played pickleball between March 2022 and March 2023. That's nearly 19% of the total adult population, using numbers from the 2020 U.S. Census.
A previous study from APP in August 2022 said that 36.5 million people had played pickleball in the 12 months prior. Their latest data from March suggests the racket sport saw an increase of more than 30% in participation over the course of about six months.
The same study from March listed New York, Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth as pickleball's most popular locations, with 11.3%, 9.6% and 5.2% of their respective populations having played over the previous year.
The average age of pickleball players is 34.8 years old, according to that same study, with more than 70% of "avid" players between the ages of 18 and 44.
veryGood! (33)
Related
- Bo the police K-9, who located child taken at knifepoint, wins Hero Dog Awards 2024
- As Sam Bankman-Fried trial reaches closing arguments, jurors must assess a spectacle of hubris
- Inspiration or impersonation? 'Booty Patrol' truck is too close to CBP, cops say. Florida scoffs.
- Ottawa Senators must forfeit first-round pick over role in invalidated trade
- About Charles Hanover
- Friends Creator Reflects on Final Conversation With Matthew Perry 2 Weeks Before His Death
- Mormon church sued again over how it uses tithing contributions from members
- The White House is working on a strategy to combat Islamophobia. Many Muslim Americans are skeptical
- Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline, shrugging off Wall Street’s overnight rally
- US Marshals releases its first report on shootings by officers
Ranking
- Oklahoma school district adding anti-harassment policies after nonbinary teen’s death
- Man pleads not guilty to tossing pipe bombs at San Francisco police during chase after church attack
- Kevin Bacon, the runaway pig, is back home: How he hogged the viral limelight with escape
- Asia’s first Gay Games to kick off in Hong Kong, fostering hopes for wider LGBTQ+ inclusion
- Prominent conservative lawyer Ted Olson, who argued Bush recount and same-sex marriage cases, dies
- Defamation lawsuit vs. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dismissed
- Model Athenna Crosby Speaks Out About Final Meeting With Matthew Perry One Day Before His Death
- Proof a Larsa Pippen, Marcus Jordan Engagement Is Just Around the Corner
Recommendation
-
Judge sets April trial date for Sarah Palin’s libel claim against The New York Times
-
Bankrupt and loving it: Welcome to the lucrative world of undead brands
-
George Santos survives House vote to expel him from Congress after latest charges
-
Army adds additional charges of sexual assault against military doctor in ongoing investigation
-
Controversial comedian Shane Gillis announces his 'biggest tour yet'
-
'Mean Girls' stars Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert reunite in Walmart ad
-
State is paying fired Tennessee vaccine chief $150K in lawsuit settlement
-
Lindsay Lohan Gives Details on That Fetch Mean Girls Reunion