Pickleball growing in popularity in Orlando and beyond

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Parents often look for ways to keep children entertained with games and activities so they don't complain about being bored. 

That's what happened to three fathers in Washington state. What did they do? They came up with a game for their children during one summer break.

It was recognized by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association a few years ago, decades after the sport was created.

"It's a fun game. When I play tennis with my friends it can sometimes get crazy and this is like a chiller version of tennis," said Sean Brown, an eighth-grade student at Sunridge Middle School in Winter Garden.

The teen plays pickleball with other classmates as part of their physical education class.

Jaiden Simmons, another eighth-grade student, had never heard about the sport.

"I was really confused as to what this was... I had no idea," Simmons said.

But now, Simmons would like continue to play it even outside of school.

"It's really fun to play and, like, you have to work together and all about team sports, so you count on other people, too, it's not just you," Simmons said.

Pickleball is a sport known to be played by older crowds.

Now, thanks to Dave Vander Weide, district ambassador for the U.S. Pickleball Association, the sport is being exposed to younger generations. 

"I saw pickleball as an opportunity for kids to get involved with it. It's something that's easier to learn. Nowadays, you see many young athletic players coming into the game," Vander Weide said.

He's been working alongside Orange County Public Schools to promote the sport.

"We donated about $1,100 of equipment to Orange County, and they're using it as a traveling kit where they'll have it in the school system for about four weeks, then they'll move it on to another one," Vander Weide said.

In 2015, pickleball was recognized by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association as the fastest growing sport in the United States.

"Unlike tennis where you raise everything above your head and you try to win the point on the serve, this is just to get the point started, that makes it fair and more fun for everyone," Vander Weide said.

So, here's how it works. You can only get a point if you're serving, which is done underhand and diagonally. Unlike tennis, you have to let the ball bounce before you hit it back.

The game is won when one side reaches a score of 11 and is leading by at least two points.　

Its popularity has evolved significantly. Vander Weide said every weekend, multiple tournaments are held throughout the country, with players competing at national and international levels.

"They even have a U.S. Open pickleball championship that's in Naples, Florida. That originated three or four years ago, and they had about 1,300 players in it. This year, they have over 2,500," Vander Weide said.

The goal of Orange County Public Schools is to eventually have all middle schools teach pickleball because essentially, it's a lifetime sport and it doesn't require a high skill set to start.