Pickleball fever has taken over Hernando. Earlier this year, the Spring Hill Christian Academy Wildcats became the first academic institution, public or private, in the county to begin a pickleball program.
The fledgling program is in the middle of its inaugural season and is a member of the Suncoast Christian Conference. The ideation for the sport’s implementation began when the conference started looking to add a spring sport.
Following discussions held among athletic directors, it was noted that many churches around the state already participate in pickleball leagues. Thus, a vote was held in January, and Spring Hill Christian Academy officially started its pickleball team in March.
During these discussions, Wildcats’ Co-Athletic Director Kristin Hahn consulted Pickleball Coaches Brian and Kiera Little. Coach Kiera had coached the previous three to four years in a homeschool pickleball cooperative at the Christian Church in the Wildwood (CCW). Her efforts, among others, helped to build a base of young children interested in the growing pastime.
The demand was certainly there. Upon the creation of her first pickleball class at CCW, a waitlist had to be implemented due to the sheer number of applicants. So, Coach Kiera and company created a second class, and that one was wait-listed, too. “It just exploded,” she said.
Coach Brian and Coach Kiera are ardent about instructing children. Upon seeing the intense demand for the sport among the county’s youth, the pair felt “led to continue our passion and teach other kids about the sport as well,” Coach Kiera added. Coach Brian is grateful to Athletic Director Hahn for allowing them to share their love for the sport with the community.
Due to their knowledge of the sport, they were naturally named co-coaches of the Wildcats’ new pickleball team. Now, they needed players. A clinic was first held to see who might be interested in the sport and how many kids would come out. 18 showed up to both the clinic and the eventual tryouts before a total of 14 student athletes made the team.
As early as the conference vote to confirm the program, there were already “whisperings and excitement,” Coach Brian Little stated. Parents would even reach out to check if it was actually happening and where.
Despite the burgeoning demand for the sport, there are still not many pickleball programs to help grow youth numbers like football, basketball, or golf. With long established organizations that teach and develop children’s aptitude for such activities, these sports have large pre-established player bases to pull from at several levels.
Pickleball does not yet have this luxury, That is why coaches like Brian and Kiera are pushing the unique appeal of the sport: the accessibility. “Anybody can play it,” Coach Brian said. “You can be five years old and play it. You can be 85 years old and play it.”
Due to this, entire families can play together, as evidenced by the Littles and their children. The sport is a fun way to get parents to come out and participate, and most of the kids on the team have parents who play competitively in tournaments as a result.
“It is just a great way for the families to get together as well and play together and spend quality time together,” Coach Kiera said.
Athletic Director Hahn added that pickleball also provides a fantastic opportunity for kids to get involved who are not comfortable competing in other sports. The result: a largely new swath of children coming out and getting to participate in athletics.
Coach Brian noted that they have six students who had never touched a pickleball paddle before the school held its pre-season clinic. The coaches have been amazed by the growth that the athletes have shown in the short time since. Some of those players have even won matches en route to the team’s undefeated (3-0) start to the season (as of the writing of this article). Moving forward, the team will be playing three matches this week with the third set to take place at Elfers Christian on Friday.
The Wildcats have three newly finished courts for their players to compete on. Instead of having to travel anywhere else, they are able to play their home games directly on campus. Spring Hill Christian’s athletic department was also blessed to receive help from a sponsor – R.A.W. (Reign and Win) Pickleball. This company allowed the school to buy custom paddles for the kids at a lower cost. This was huge for a program just getting off the ground.
The new sport has provided local children with the opportunity to hone their skills and see how they match up with others competitively. The school takes sports seriously but still has the ultimate goal of providing children with a middle to high school experience that is Christ-centered. Athletic Director Hahn thanked the conference and her coaches for helping to get the entire endeavor off the ground. “I think it has been great for our kids just giving them a different option for some kind of sport to do,” she said.
[Photo by Austyn Szempruch]
