The Pickleball Club at St. Petersburg High School was started by students three years ago, and its popularity has doubled in size. The unused tennis court has recently been converted into six dedicated pickleball courts, with students playing every Wednesday after school, including a monthly mini-bracket tournament.
Rachel Corral, chairman of the school’s Visual Arts division, is a sponsor of the Pickleball Club. Koral is a certified professional instructor who has been professionally playing for three years. Students prepared for play in the old courthouse and with the help of sponsors and schools, paddles, balls and nets were obtained.
Pickleballs have exploded in popularity in recent years. The St. Pete High club has grown to 50 people. “We have a lot of athletes and a lot of non-athletes. Anyone can come and anyone can play pickle balls at our club,” Coral said.
Paddle sports are played on plastic balls with holes, combining elements of tennis, ping pong and badminton. People find it easy to learn and enjoy playing singles and doubles. Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in America. Koral expects it to become a licensed high school sport soon.
![After school on April 16th, students grab the paddles as they prepare to return serves while playing the pickleball club and pickleball at St. Petersburg High School.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 400"/%3E "After school on April 16th, students grab the paddles as they prepare to return serves while playing the pickleball club and pickleball at St. Petersburg High School.")
![Olivia Whitt, co-president of the Pickleball Club, jumps to reach the lob while playing pickleball after school at St. Petersburg High School on April 16th.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 906"/%3E "Olivia Whitt, co-president of the Pickleball Club, jumps to reach the lob while playing pickleball after school at St. Petersburg High School on April 16th.")
![Rachel Corral, chairman of the St. Petersburg High Visual Arts Division, will show off his shots after school on April 16th, while teaching students at the Pickleball Club at St. Petersburg High School.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 427"/%3E "Rachel Corral, chairman of the St. Petersburg High Visual Arts Division, will show off his shots after school on April 16th, while teaching students at the Pickleball Club at St. Petersburg High School.")
![On the left, Kai Lopez watches his doubles partner Jake Hamilton and hits the backhand after school on April 16th, playing pickleball at the pickleball club at St. Petersburg High School.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 433"/%3E "On the left, Kai Lopez watches his doubles partner Jake Hamilton and hits the backhand after school on April 16th, playing pickleball at the pickleball club at St. Petersburg High School.")
![This aerial drone view shows the pickle ball court behind St. Petersburg High School as an after-school pickle club practice on April 16th.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 429"/%3E "This aerial drone view shows the pickle ball court behind St. Petersburg High School as an after-school pickle club practice on April 16th.")
![Abigail Baffington's braided ponytail rests on her shoulders over a shirt depicting the Green Devil's Pickleball Club logo.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 413"/%3E "Abigail Baffington's braided ponytail rests on her shoulders over a shirt depicting the Green Devil's Pickleball Club logo.")
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![Ben Cubito, co-president of the Pickleball Club, will move on to drop shots after school on April 16th, playing pickleball at the Pickleball Club at St. Petersburg High School.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 448"/%3E "Ben Cubito, co-president of the Pickleball Club, will move on to drop shots after school on April 16th, playing pickleball at the Pickleball Club at St. Petersburg High School.")
