The sport of pickleball is growing rapidly around the US. Celebrities have picked the sport as well, from Tom Brady to Bill Gates and even the Kardashians. According to the USA Pickleball Association, 2.4 million Americans are playing the game, and 66 percent are 60+ years old. Whether you’re a teenager or retired, the fast-paced hybrid of ping pong and tennis will keep you on your toes and having fun with friends. Marshall Buffaloe, a junior, along with some of his friends, decided to open up the game for classmates at Millbrook.

Buffaloe is the president of the newly created MHS Pickleball Club. “My friends and I enjoyed playing together, all of us are rather athletic and we were looking for a new exciting thing to do together,” he said.

Buffaloe created the club as part of his CAS IB project; “I thought this would be a great idea to connect with different types of people through an enjoyable yet competitive environment. I see it as an exciting challenge to face and something I’m passionate about, so I chose it for my IB project.”

The club is set to have its interest meeting soon, but all of the other officers are currently playing football amid a historic playoff run. One of those officers is Riley Furnas, a wide receiver and the vice president of the club.

Furnas says he deserves the credit for getting his friends hooked on pickleball; “My papa invited me to play with him a few weeks before my friends started playing. I was skeptical at first because I was the youngest person playing with my papa by a good 40 years. I thought to myself that this is just some old grandpa game, in reality, it’s a good challenge for all ages.”

Furnas believes the club will be a big success at Millbrook. With lots of buzz going on around the club, he is faced with the challenge of finding a place with enough pickleball courts to play. When asked what his solution is to this issue he answered, “I’ve emailed places that are convenient for most students to get to but none have answered back, this is still a relatively new game so there aren’t a ton of convenient options for a big group of players.”

The Pickleball interest meeting will be announced this week, and interested students can email Marshall Buffaloe with any questions!