Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School was the host of MCPS’s first-ever pickleball match, in which the Barons defeated Springbrook High School in a doubles match.
The game was the first in the pilot season for MCPS Pickleball. Eleven schools are involved. Systemwide Athletics Director Jeffrey Sullivan said, “There’s a lot of energy around pickleball, it’s an exciting sport that can be played by all skill ability levels, all ages.” He continued, “It is truly a lifetime sport, spreading across all age levels very quickly.”
This inaugural pickleball season is a part of a larger MCPS program aimed at offering non-traditional sports each season to increase the opportunity for all students to play a sport, including those with disabilities. MCPS will use the pilot season to evaluate the sport’s reception and to make necessary changes. The hope is for Pickleball to eventually become a sport on offer every year.
Pickleball is one of America’s fastest-growing sports, as it is fun, social, gentle on the body, and relatively easy to learn, and it has finally reached B-CC. “What’s really cool about pickleball is you can make modifications within the game,” Sullivan said. “We’re excited in Montgomery County to be the first in the state to offer it in this fashion.”
