America’s fastest-growing sport, pickleball, has captivated people young and old across the nation–and now it’s come to Oak Park High School. After spending the summer playing pickleball, sophomores Chloe St. Laurent and Belana Belotsky brought the game to school, founding the Pickleball Club.

“We wanted to get everyone who likes to play pickleball together to create a community,” St. Laurent said. “We want to hold tournaments, where everyone can play competitively.”

While there are various fee-based tournaments throughout the county, the Pickleball Club provides a great opportunity for students to compete for free against their friends. The club will be holding its first-ever tournament this November, over the span of several meetings. Held in the cages at lunch, students will play in brackets until the final competitors are determined. 

“We’re making a bracket with the help of Coach Klamecki,” Belotsky said. “Every practice, everyone’s going to play in the beginning and then we’ll begin eliminations. People can still come back and play their own games, they just won’t be in the tournament.”

While a tournament might favor those with pickleball expertise, advanced and inexperienced players alike are welcome to join the club. 

“There’s always one learner’s court where we give a lesson, coaching people that don’t know how to play,” Belotsky said. “If you’re intermediate or advanced, you know the rules and you’re comfortable at the game, you can go off and play out on your own.” 

The Pickleball Club meets the first, second and fourth Mondays of each month in G-8, Mr. Creason’s room. 

“On the first Monday of every month is pickles and pizza,” St. Laurent said. “There’s no actual pickles, there’s just pizza in Mr. Creason’s room. We discuss rules and regulations, who we are, what the club is and the upcoming meetings. Then, the second and fourth Monday we play at the cages at lunch. We set up our nets, everyone signs in, they grab their paddles and a ball and head to their court. Sometimes we’ll hold optional tournaments on the weekends for fun at Deerhill Park.”

The club’s main goal is to create a community in which students can enjoy playing pickleball free of judgment. 

“It’s very supportive. If you don’t know how to play, it’s okay and someone will teach you,” Belotsky said. “It’s not like any other sport that’s aggressive and competitive. Everyone goes at their own pace.”

To learn more about the club, make sure to follow them on instagram. Remember to “pickle it up” on the court.