Pickleball has been popping up all around South Tampa: among a growing number of tournaments, courts and teams, it seems that everybody has joined the pickleball bandwagon. It’s no wonder, then, that Plant High School is now home to its very own Pickleball club, Panther Pickleball.
Although pickleball is extremely popular with 8.9 million players as of 2023 (usapickleball.org), many are unaware of the history behind the seemingly new game. The game was created in 1965 by Congressmen Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum after they were unable to find a complete set of badminton equipment. From this, the game known today took form.
Despite its broad player base, many still do not know precisely what pickleball is. Pickleball is a paddle sport played with a wiffleball on a badminton-sized court, as defined by cranberrytownship.org. However, its popularity is based on much more than its ease to learn and familiarity.
Ryan Pavliga (11), one of the presidents of Plant’s Pickleball club, stated that “[Pickleball] brings people together… It’s just a fun way to hang out with friends and stay active. You can bring new people who’ve never played before, and they end up having a great time.” To some, pickleball isn’t just a sport—it is a way to connect with those you know and meet new people.
It naturally follows that Pavliga, along with co-founders Max Bisco (11) and Jacob Carlson (11), wanted to share that joy with others through starting a school club. This wasn’t without its challenges, though. In years past, students have attempted to start a Pickleball club at Plant. Although there was enthusiasm for the prospect, it remained just an idea for several years. This year, however, the pickleball club prevailed.
Despite its popularity and simplicity, the thought of joining a new, unfamiliar sport may be daunting. Pavliga assures, however, that anyone is welcome to join the club, no matter their skill level or experience.
Pavliga himself only began playing a year and a half ago, stating, “I knew nothing about the game; I was completely terrible at it. Over time, I’ve gotten much better at it,” He went on to say, “It’s just a fun way to hang out with friends and stay active…you don’t even need to be necessarily athletic to pick it up.”
As for the club itself, they plan to do scrambles once a month at the Pickleball Crew with random groups. As the club progresses, they aim to host their own tournaments, which could include prizes. The club also has coaches, including Aiden Cunningham (12), Carlos Velasco (11), and Dylan Jotham (12), who are certified Plant students ready to help out.
Anyone interested in the club can find information on the club’s Instagram page, @_phspickleballclub. As pickleball continues to grow nationwide, every member of this new club is helping to forge Plant’s future and join a community connected to decades of history and innovation. For anyone who still has hesitations, Pavliga urges to “Come out, give it a shot…see what you think, come out to one of our scrambles and check it out. Pickleball is a very social sport, so you’ll meet people with similar interests to you, and you’ll have a great time.”