High school students in Montgomery County will have a new sport option this fall: pickleball. Montgomery County Public Schools will be adding pickleball as a varsity sport to 25 high schools following a successful pilot program.

The program was offered in 11 high schools last fall, and its success led Dr. Jeffrey Sullivan, the director of system wide athletics for MCPS, to expand the program for the upcoming school year. This will be replacing varsity handball, which Sullivan saw decreasing participation in following the pandemic.

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country, according to USA Pickleball. The sport — a combination of badminton, tennis and table tennis — checks all of Sullivan’s boxes for an inclusive sport.

“We’re excited about it because it’s not only just going to provide opportunities for students while they’re with us in high school, but really, it’s going to set the stage for a lifelong of health and well-being, because pickleball is an activity that can be played all the way through life,” Sullivan said.

Schools are required by state law to offer corollary sports, which provide students with disabilities opportunities to participate in athletics. The goal for corollary sports is to have a 50:50 ratio of students with and without disabilities, Sullivan said. With only two schools offering handball, Sullivan decided to realign funding towards pickleball.

“Being named a high school varsity sport is a testament to just how far the sport has come, not just at the grassroots level but increasingly at the competitive level as well,” said Tom Webb, chief marketing officer with the Association of Pickleball Players.

Read More

Indoor pickleball company plans 30 locations in Baltimore and beyond

Jul 18, 2024

MCPS is working with JOOLA, a Montgomery County-based company that creates pickleball and table tennis equipment, and DC Pickleball Team, the major league pickleball team in the area, to offer the sport at no additional cost to the athletics budget.

JOOLA will be donating equipment and uniforms to every participating school. In a social media post, the Rockville-based company said it was “honored to be a part of what we feel is truly a monumental moment for pickleball.” JOOLA recently made headlines over a legal dispute related to its pickleball paddles and whether they were correctly approved by USA Pickleball.

MCPS is likely the first school district to add pickleball as a varsity sport, according to Sullivan.

“I’ve gotten multiple calls from colleagues around the country reaching out about this,” Sullivan said. “So we look forward to shaping this program over the coming years and seeing how we can make it even bigger.”

MCPS will also be piloting a girls flag football program this fall in a partnership with the Baltimore Ravens and Under Armour.