In a spirited effort to get students involved and promote physical activity, New Ulm High School student council members are hosting their 2nd annual pickleball intramurals. Everyone is buzzing with excitement and ready to smash some balls, so if you are interested, bring your paddles; even if you don’t want to play, it’s being held in the gymnasium during lunch A and B for all students.
The success of Pickleball Intramurals highlights the importance of offering diverse recreational opportunities to students with a huge success last year. Beyond promoting physical fitness, intramural sports like pickleball include teamwork, sportsmanship, and healthy competition among its participants. New Ulm student council adviser Mrs. Gunderson said, “Pickleball gives kids the opportunities to make new friends and get involved in school activities”.
- Pickleball is played either as doubles (two players per team) or singles; doubles are most common
- The same size playing area and rules are used for both singles and doubles
- The serve is made diagonally crosscourt and must land within the confines of the opposite diagonal court.
- When serving you must stand behind the back line of your court
- When points are scored the server switches boxes until they commit a fault: both players get a chance to serve except the first team serving only gets one serve until a fault
- Points are scored only by the serving team
- Games are played to 11 and they must win by at least 2
- When playing each team must let it bounce once on each side before hitting it in the air.
To make intramurals happen, “the Student Council usually puts together a small committee that organizes the scheduling, registration, and reservation of facilities. It usually takes a team of dedicated Student Council members, as well as the support of the advisors, to put together this event. With the number of students that signed up this year, it ended up being a laid-back event with a more flexible schedule due to lunch,” stated stud co-advisor Mrs. Gunderson.
