LOS ALAMITOS, CA — Sports are a major part of Los Alamitos High School and have brought the community together to play and watch the games. Over the years, more sports continue to be introduced at the high school, allowing students to find sports best suited for them. There is one sport that’s been increasing in popularity among high schoolers due to its exciting style of play and challenging mastery: pickleball.

What is pickleball?

Pickleball is a racket sport, similar to tennis, where two teams have to rally a perforated plastic ball until one side does not return the ball or one of the teams makes an error during the play. Teams can either consist of one person on either side of the court, called singles, or two people on either side of the court, called doubles.

Pickleball presence on campus

The Pickleball Club at Los Al gives students the opportunity to play pickleball against each other to become better at the sport and have fun.

Pickleball Club meets on the first Wednesday of each month on campus to discuss upcoming events and pickleball-related activities. They also meet every other Saturday to play pickleball on the courts at Rossmoor Park. The club attempted to start last year and ended up disbanding, but the new presidents of the club decided to bring it back this year to continue their passion for the sport.

“[The] pickleball club is important to me because it allows me and [the other] presidents to share our passion with our school,” Pickleball Club’s co-president Landon Parker wrote in an online interview. “[It] brings an exciting activity for students to build connections and discover a new passion.”

The club mainly focuses on the members playing against each other and for fun, but they also have plans to play against other local schools for lighthearted competition in the future.

Pickleball outside of campus

Outside of the campus and Los Al Pickleball Club, people play pickleball at various courts installed in nearby neighborhoods or at their local tennis courts. Competitive pickleball groups have also formed, hosting competitions and tournaments with other groups on weekends. Some of these competitions are age-restricted, but others are less competitive, allowing for varying ranges of skill levels to play.

This pickleball insurgence is not welcomed by everyone, though. The sport’s growth has led to backlash from people who live close to the pickleball courts. These surrounding residents complain that the game is too noisy when people are playing in the courts and want the courts removed.

The main problem that arose from this backlash is that, since the pickleball courts were recently added to multiple communities, removing them would cause cities to lose the money that went into creating the courts, and the pickleball players would end up having to play on the tennis courts. Ultimately, removing pickleball courts would not truly stop people from playing pickleball; it would just force pickleball players to find other places to play.

“It’s a casual sport that pretty much anyone can play and have a good time,” Trevor Toda, a senior at Los Al, said. “I don’t believe [the noise from the pickleball courts] is enough reason to justify an entire ban.”

The growth of pickleball in Los Al stems from its appeal to various players of different skill ranges and its inclusivity in the community. As the sport continues to expand, solutions must be made to recognize the viewpoints of both players and nearby residents to ensure that the sport is able to remain the fun activity it is for everyone to play.