Varsity pickleball? A Maryland school system is taking a swing at it
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Vinnie LaCosta plays pickleball at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, MD.Raphael Talisman for Montgomery County Public Schools -
Jeff Sullivan, director of systemwide athletics for Montgomery County Public Schools, announces an expansion of pickleball as a varsity sport to all of the county's high schools.Raphael Talisman for Montgomery County Public Schools -
Vivian Glozman of the D.C. Pickleball Team watches on as it's announced that the sport is expanding as a varsity sport to all public high schools in Montgomery County, MD.Raphael Talisman for Montgomery County Public Schools
Love it or loath it… the pop of pickleball paddles is a sound that’s spreading across the country.
Now for the first time in the U.S., a school system in Maryland is offering pickleball as a varsity sport this fall.
“Pickleball for all” is the slogan Jeff Sullivan, the director of systemwide athletics for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), used as he made the announcement at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, MD.
“Across all ages [and] demographics, pickleball is fun and it leads to lifelong health and well-being,” he added.
The sport is experiencing rapid growth, with nearly 50 million American adults playing last year, up by over a third from 2022, according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals.
Vinnie LaCosta is one of them. The 18-year-old senior at Albert Einstein High School joined the team there during the last academic year, when MCPS trialed pickleball in eleven schools.
Although wrestling is his favorite sport, “I love playing pickleball with my brothers,” he said.
LaCosta has Down syndrome. His dad, Bill LaCosta, said pickleball gets Vinnie good exercise and fun.
“It gets him moving – a lot,” he said. “It's not one of those sports where you stand around a lot and wait for something to happen.”
That people with different abilities can play is one reason Sullivan wanted to see the varsity pickleball pilot program expanded to all 25 high schools in the county for the upcoming academic year.
“Pickleball is an inclusive sport that fits perfectly with our corollary sports program, which provides additional opportunities for students with and without disabilities,” he said.
At the launch, some of the new pickleball players had the chance to face a professional, Vivian Glozman of the D.C. Pickleball Team. That’s one of the sides that competes in Major League Pickleball.
“It’s super exciting to see where pickleball is going and just having it be a high school sport now is super awesome,” Glozman said.
The former collegiate tennis player enjoyed her time on the court with the students.
“Oh, my gosh, they're awesome. I think it's so fun to have everybody loving the sport,” Glozman added. “Just the support I saw amongst the kids on the team, super cool to see and how close they are with the coach.”
That team spirit is something 15-year-old Tate Fasteau enjoyed during his opening year with the pickleball team at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD.
“It was a very small team, but all the teams were small,” Fasteau said. “It was like a community sort of thing. Everyone on the team was good friends with each other, so it was very fun.”
Fasteau noted that pickleball can offer a break from the pressure of other sports.
“I play football and that's very competitive,” he said. “But pickleball is a very casual game that you can play competitively or you can just play with your dad or your grandma.”
With the sport expanding to more students in Montgomery County, the future on the court is bright – be that as a pickleball pro, or just battling grandma.
Majd Al-Waheidi edited the digital version of this story.
Transcript
(SOUNDBITE OF RACKETS HITTING BALLS)
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Some time back, I was hitting tennis balls against a wall in a park when some people showed up and said, uh, excuse me, this is the pickleball court. This month, I was home in Indiana, and two pickleball courts were busy next to the playground. This sport is spreading. And now for the first time in the United States, a school system in Maryland is offering pickleball as a varsity sport. NPR's Adam Bearne hit the courts.
ADAM BEARNE, BYLINE: In case you've missed this somehow, pickleball is like a shrunk-down version of tennis played on a smaller court.
VIVIAN GLOZMAN: I was lucky enough - one of my neighbors introduced me, and like a lot of people I got addicted, and I kind of went full time from there.
BEARNE: That's Vivian Glozman. She's a professional player for the D.C. Pickleball Team. On this humid July day, she's on hand for the announcement that all 25 public high schools in Montgomery County, Md., which borders D.C., will have pickleball as a varsity sport this fall.
GLOZMAN: Super exciting to see where pickleball is going, and, like, just having it being a high school sport now is super awesome.
BEARNE: The county ran a pilot program in 11 schools in the last school year, the first in the nation to offer pickleball this way. It's part of the sport's rapid growth. The Association of Pickleball Professionals (ph) say participation grew by over a third last year. On the court here, Glozman puts some of the new players through their paces.
GLOZMAN: Oh, good try.
BEARNE: One of her opponents is 18-year-old senior Vinnie LaCosta.
VINNIE LACOSTA: I always like doing pickleball with my brothers.
BEARNE: Vinnie has Down syndrome. His dad is Bill LaCosta.
BILL LACOSTA: I play pickleball, too. So I really enjoy playing with Vinnie, and it's a lot of fun.
BEARNE: What does the sport do for Vinnie?
B LACOSTA: Gets him moving a lot. It's not one of those sports where you stand around a lot and wait for something to happen.
BEARNE: The fact that the sport can be played by people of different abilities is one of the big reasons why Montgomery County Schools athletics director, Jeff Sullivan, wanted to expand pickleball to all the high schools here.
JEFF SULLIVAN: We use the slogan Pickleball For All. And we believe that. Across all ages, demographics, pickleball, most importantly, is fun, and it leads to lifelong health and well-being.
BEARNE: Tate Fasteau agrees. The 15-year-old played on his school's first-ever team this past year.
TATE FASTEAU: I play football, and that's very competitive. But pickleball is a very casual game that you can play competitively, or you can just play with your dad or your grandma.
BEARNE: So for the students coming into the sport this fall, the future on the court is bright - be that as a pickleball pro or just battling grandma.
Adam Bearne, NPR News, in Potomac, Md.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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