Pickleball has rapidly risen to popularity among all age groups worldwide due to its accessibility and inclusivity. It is a low-impact paddle sport played as singles or doubles on a small court that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong. The sport is great and easy to learn for beginners, but still offers deliberate strategy and competitiveness for more experienced players.
“I started playing pickleball last year over the summer, I began playing like 1v1s at the Ladera Ranch Pickleball courts and over time I eventually started playing in rec games. My dad started playing first and then he started getting me into it,” said Shreya Konidana (12).
“It is fun because it’s an opportunity to be around my friends and do something. It is competitive, but not too competitive so it’s good to play with friends. I feel like it was kind of big or a trend, but I don’t know. It feels like it’s kind of dying off, but we also have a pickleball tournament at school,” said Kaden Banks (12).
The small court and slow pace reduces the risk for injuries and is suitable for all age groups, including older adults. Although, with any sport it is important to take simple preventive precautions to reduce the risk of injury by stretching, wearing proper equipment, staying hydrated, and easing into the sport.
“Some pickleball injuries may not be prevented 100 percent, but in general, being consistently active with a program that incorporates stretching and conditioning – is very helpful…more severe injuries that require surgery we’re seeing involve weekend warriors. These players typically are not active but then decide to play aggressively, and often without warming up,” according to board-certified orthopedic surgeon Diana S. Young in Lee Health.
Pickleball offers fun, fitness, community, and is a hub for making social connections and meeting new people. It is great as a hobby or a means of staying active, improving your strength, coordination, and endurance.
“It is eye opening to see because it builds a community in the places you don’t expect, like the pickleball courts have a community but you wouldn’t expect it to reach the school too, so there’s a community here too,” said Konidana.
Ladera Ranch had recently opened four brand new pickleball courts earlier this year at the Avendale Village Clubhouse. There are over 200 pickleball courts for public access across Orange County. There are many other popular courts around the area including Richard T. Steed Memorial Park in San Clemente which has eight courts.
“The USA Pickleball court location database, Pickleheads, added over 2,300 new locations in 2025, bringing the total to 18,258 locations nationwide…USA Pickleball continued to strengthen and expand its membership community in 2025, growing to 104,828 members nationwide,” according to the 2025 annual growth report on USA Pickleball.
“My dad [Suman Konidana] made a pickleball app [DinkGrid] and I help with media management, run the Instagram account, and sometimes test run the app just to look for any errors or problems,”said Konidana.
Along with this new growth and popularity surrounding pickleball, new apps and technology are emerging to support the sport and deepen its community. Nearby, Konidana’s father developed an app called DinkGrid in hopes of helping local pickleball players access courts and meet other fellow players.
“It easily organizes leagues, groups, and tournaments across multiple game formats, while the app seamlessly tracks your matches, scores, and standings, making every game more engaging and rewarding. DinkGrid also features a community marketplace where you can buy, sell, or request gear within your network,” said Konidana.
DinkGrid is a global, community-driven app built by fellow pickleball players, designed to bring people together for a fun yet competitive experience. The app allows users to discover courts nearby, connect with players, and play everything from casual rec games to competitive DUPR matches all in one place.
“The system for at least at the Ladera place is basic because it allows you to book courts and all, but it doesn’t really show any of the matches, like there’s this game called round robin when there’s multiple people and they shuffle in a circle and his inspiration was to make the whole game matching easier for players and to also build more of a community,” said Konidana.
“I would say that I don’t think it’s a sport. I think it’s more recreational. My sister does play tennis, so she does have an opinion about it. Sometimes she finds it annoying if I book a court and she’s trying to book an open court. Overall, I would say that there’s not too much negative stigma if you look at it from a recreational point of view, but if you start to claim it’s a sport it could get a little more messy,” said Price.
There has been a negative stigma around the sport with many believing that it is just an option for older adults to stay active and is not truly a sport. However, this assumption has started to decrease, but many people, specifically tennis players have exhibited hostility or disapproval of the game and how many tennis courts are unavailable because of pickleball games.
“As the popularity of pickleball surges, communities such as Fullerton are facing challenges regarding the use of recreational spaces…recreational users voiced their frustrations at the Parks and Recreation Commission on September 8 as they compete for access to courts that have become increasingly crowded,” according to Saskia Kennedy on the Fullerton Observer.
“I think the negative stigma around it is starting to go away, like I remember we asked a couple of tennis people if they got annoyed with pickleball players and they said they did, so I think there is still a little judgment around,” said Konidana.
Ultimately, despite the debates of whether it should be considered a sport, the impact Pickleball has made is clear. It has brought people together, encourages an active lifestyle, and helps foster a third space and opportunity for connection.
