Pickleball has had a major increase in popularity recently. The game of pickleball contains 2-4 players. All the players have a paddle and hit the ball across the net with one touch. On a warm sunny day, pickleball is Nolan Pownell’s go-to way to pass the time. Pownell is a senior in high school and plays pickleball with his friends and family a couple times a week. 

Pownell’s pickleball career first started when he was a freshman in high school. He doesn’t play it as a real sport, just in his free time. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t take it seriously. When Pownell and his friends first heard of pickleball, they immediately thought it would be a good idea to play. He described it as interesting, fun, and new. “My friends and I always played basketball, swam, or played poker,” said Pownell, “but pickleball was something new and exciting, which made us find more interest in it than other activities.”

When Pownell’s friends are busy, his go-to pickleball partner is his dad. He enjoys the long rallies they have against each other. “My favorite pickleball memory is this one time my dad and I played for an hour straight,” said Pownell. “It was a long and intense game.” The pickleball courts are just across the street from his house, so it’s very convenient. “The perfect pickleball day for me would be a warm day with no breeze,” said Pownell.

Pownell’s advice for people who want to start playing pickleball is that it isn’t about how athletic you are. “Pickleball is not much on athletic ability, more on reaction time, which is something I am good at,” said Pownell. In the future, Pownell considers playing pickleball in college with his friends, and possibly as he grows older. Pickleball is growing in popularity all over the country. Pickleball is a fun, easy, and interesting sport for anyone.