By AMY DAVIS
The Progress
It is hard to ignore the fact that pickleball is the latest game to sweep the nation. So it only makes sense that Virgin Valley Elementary School PE teacher, Travis Allen, would introduce the sport to his students; especially since the brand new Mesquite Pickleball Complex is located so close to the VVES campus.
On October 25-26, Allen’s 4th and 5th grade students were able walk the block or two down the street to the new pickleball courts for some friendly competition against each other.
The rules for pickleball are quite simple and easy to learn. Once one has the basics figured out, the game can quickly turn into a fast paced, competitive sport. The sport combines elements of ping pong, badminton and tennis. It can be played both indoors and outdoors on a badminton sized court with a modified tennis net. It can be played with doubles or singles and uses a paddle and a plastic ball with holes.
Pickleball may seem new to some, but it has actually been around since 1965. It was invented by a Washington congressman who was looking for a way to entertain his children.
Allen picked up the game earlier this year. He loved it is so much that he knew he had to incorporate it into his curriculum.
“I called the Rec Center and they were happy to accommodate us and reserve the courts for us,” Allen said. “They are always great to work with. I would like to do this again in the spring if the Rec Center is willing. It takes a little bit of work on their end to prepare for us.”
Students practiced for 5 weeks. “We changed the rules for the rec center competition,” explained Allen. “It is really easy to hit the ball to someone and have them not be able to hit the ball back. Since we are working on building skills, we decided to award points to the team who could volley the ball back and forth the longest. We had some teams get up to 32 volleys.”
This is even more impressive when you note that Allen and Rec Center Coordinator Nicole Jensen couldn’t get over 20 volleys.
All pickleball items had to be purchased. Allen was able to get all the needed equipment through a fundraiser on Donor’s Choose, a funding site for teachers.
Allen needed about $1,000 of equipment including nets, balls, paddles, and spray chalk to create the courts at the school. Within a few weeks of posting about the fundraiser, he had all the money he needed.
“Every donation is anonymous, but a big thank you to whoever the people are who made this possible for the school,” expressed Allen.
“I thought it went well for a first-time event,” said Jensen. “I think activities like this are great to show kids that they can take skills learned in school and transfer them over into the real world.”
While students were playing at the rec center, seasoned pickleball players who live and compete in Mesquite were available to coach them a little and really help in their skill development.
“I hope we can get a few more volunteers to come and give students pointers because the ones that came this year did a great job,” said Jensen.
Colin Allen, a first grader at VVES, said that he thought pickleball is “pretty good.” He gave a demonstration of how many times he could volley the ball on his own paddle. Colin wanted to show his dad just how much he had improved his skills.
“I can’t wait to play pickleball on the courts,” he said. “Can I sign up to play now, dad?”
Safe to say, Colin, like many other VVES students and many people across the country, has been converted to pickleball.
