Maple Grove Senior High Pickleball Club Helps Expand Sport by Generations
A new club at Maple Grove Senior High is keeping kids active with minimal barriers. It’s through a sport that has been a hit in recent years: pickleball.
Pickleball courts are popping up all over the northwest metro. Stereotypically, it’s easy to attribute that to parents and retirees filling up court time. But the kids in town want in on it, too.
“There was a few of us parents who got kind of addicted to pickleball over the course of the last couple years,” said parent and club adviser John Resman.
Resman and fellow parents went to the school with their kids to set up a club. It worked — an all-ages pickleball club was formed last school year. Resman is one of a few parent advisers. They come by to help supervise while the kids practice at Pints and Paddle in Maple Grove.
“It’s not quite a sport yet, but we have some kids on the program who are very in tune to playing and want to get better,” Resman said. “[They] could easily be on a high school team.”
The club has fewer barriers than many school sports. Resman said there’s no activity fee and all their equipment was donated by a local pickleball podcaster. It’s also designed to meet kids where they’re at. Many kids are involved in other sports, so only come when they can. Some are just there to be social, others are there to be more competitive. Resman said the kids who want to train can be coached by the parent advisers.
“One thing about pickleball that you’re seeing it grow across the U.S. and everywhere else is it’s a very social aspect of a sport, so it’s great seeing kids interacting on that level,” Resman said.
Maple Grove Senior High Pickleball Club members tap paddles after their match. The students meet weekly at Pints and Paddle from 3-5 p.m.
Dreaming Big
The club held a late-night “Midnight Madness” tournament both this year and last year. Kids and a teacher team competed from 10 p.m. until midnight to win a gift card to Pints and Paddle. Club member and 10th-grader Lauren Howard said it was a fun memory. She joined last year, when the club was first taking off.
“It’s been a consistent thing for me and my friends to just go, hang out, chill, take some stress off of us, and go play pickleball,” Howard said.
The club has a rotating mix of kids with under 30 members regularly showing up from Maple Grove. Since it’s held off-site, kids from other schools are also welcome.
“As a multi-sport athlete, I like doing something that’s not so heavy competitiveness, but just fun,” Howard said.
She’s hopeful to see pickleball grow in her generation and expand beyond Maple Grove.
“My real dream is that we could be a club that we play against other teams, like Wayzata and Osseo. That’s a big strive goal,” said Howard.
The club meets weekly at Pints and Paddle on Tuesday afternoons. You can learn more about the club on its Instagram page.
Maple Grove Senior High School
