When we hear the words “pickle ball” we’re probably wondering, “what is that?” Well you might’ve played it in a P.E. class, but if you’ve ever played tennis/badminton, then you can likely catch on to what pickle ball is.

Pickle ball is an outdoor/indoor sport activity that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis. You have a very solid paddle and a circled ball with many holes in it that you hit across the net to make a goal. There’s two or four players on the court and your goal is to hit the ball across the net as hard as you can to make a score and take that W.

English Teacher, Megan Hughes, started playing tennis when she was six, so learning how to play pickle ball was pretty easy for her. Mrs. Hughes was actually introduced to the sport by her husband, and after about a month of her husband playing, that’s when Hughes began playing along. Excitingly, she and her husband are already a year into the sport and have already entered four tournaments! She went on to break down the rankings which were levels. Lowest ranking level starts at 3.0 then stops at the highest level 5.0.

The first tournament she played in was for a 3.5 and of course she won – she even received a gold medal! After competing in the 3.5, she decided it was time to move up a level and participate in the 4.0 tournament where she received a silver medal (amazing right?). Mrs. Hughes is super competitive, so she wasn’t too happy with that, but it kept her motivated to keep on practicing. She went on to win four new matches on January 31st in the 4.5 category, so the practicing eventually payed off!  Something she tells her golfers all the time and probably a big reason they have won State twice.

Mrs. Hughes went on to mention that Arizona Daily Star wrote an article about Pickle ball being one of the fastest growing sports in the U.S.  The article talked a little bit about how younger people are even starting to show interest in joining. Because when you picture pickle ball, you assume that it’s mainly an “older people” sport but it’s actually a really fun sport for everyone! Hughes assured, “It is something that I think young people should think about doing…you know because it’s fun, it’s kinda like the sport of the future!”

Want to get that exercise or smoke someone on the court? Then gather your friends, family, or peers and challenge them to a little game of PICKLE BALL!