By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer

Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines the elements of both tennis and ping-pong and is played on a small court with a plastic ball. Two to four players use a smooth faced paddle to hit a perforated hollow ball over a 34-inch-high net until someone is unable to return the ball over the net or commits a rule infraction.

Aspects of the game resemble that of tennis and table tennis played on a badminton sized court containing specific rules one must follow within those line. On each side of the net is a 7-foot area known as the non-volley zone or the kitchen. A player in this area can not strike the ball until it bounces.

The sport actually began in the Pacific Northwest in Bainbridge Island, Washington at the summer home of Joel Pritchard. Along with his two friends, Barney McCallum and Bill Bell, the trio devised the game and established the rules in 1965 when they were looking for a way to keep the kids entertained during summer vacation. 

The sport seemed to gain a cult popularity and in the early 1970’s a corporation was formed to protect the creation of the sport. In 1976 the first formal pickleball tournament was held in Tokwila, Washington at the Southcenter Athletic Club.

It took another eight years, but in 1984 the United States Amateur Pickleball Association (USAP) was firmed and in 2022 competitive pickleball began being played in college. One year later Noah Suemnick formed the national Collegiate Pickleball Association.

For four straight years between 2021 and 2024 the sport was named the fastest growing sport in the United States by Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA). In fact, going into 2023 it grew 223.5% over the last three years with an estimated 13.6 billion people playing.

In 2011 Ashland fielded its first school-wide pickleball tournament to be played at the middle school. 2025 marks the 13th year of the event with a few missed finals due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“The Ashland Middle School Pickleball Tournament Championship has become an indispensable component of the Ashland school culture,” Peter Zacchilli, Ashland varsity wrestling coach and middle school wellness teacher, said. “Students act as referees, scorekeepers, announcers, photographers and media members. In addition, the Ashland Pickleball Pep Band, directed by Brian Koning, plays the National Anthem and fight songs throughout the match.”

Zacchilli went on to say that past champions will return to take part in the event both as spectators and luminaries. This year’s tournament began back on March 19th with opening festivities having 230 two-player teams participating in the tournament looking to hoist the Freeman Cup.

Each team plays within their Wellness class; there were 20 seventh and eighth grade Wellness classes taught by Zacchilli and Dee Mastromatteo. The students are first introduced to the sport, then they practice and perfect their skills, followed by learning the rules, and finally playing in their class tournaments. The 20 class champions are matched up throughout the Spring until it is narrowed down to the final 2. 

The name of the championship cup was named in tribute to the past pickleball success of the Freeman family. In 2013 Max Freeman along with his teammate Marcus Illingworth became Ashland’s third team to capture the Pickleball Tournament Championship. 

“They are widely considered the best team to ever set foot on the hallowed grounds of the Forster Pickleball Court,” Zacchilli said. “Furthermore, Maz was recently drafted 10th overall the Major League Pickleball Draft and is currently competing as a professional pickleball player for the Chicago Slice.”

In 2014 Freeman’s younger sister Paige became the first female to make an appearance in the finals match. She accomplished this feat as a seventh-grade student and was the first to do so at that age.

 Last year’s champions Cam Fell and Timmy Forster will be on hand to present the Freeman cup to the winning team. The winners names will be etched on the cup and will forever become part of Ashland pickleball folklore. Looking to be the next team to put their names onto the cup will be either the duo of Coleman Magnani and Asher Brown or Carter Groark and Tejas Iyer. With these two teams making the finals it marks the first time in the tournament history where both teams are made up of 7th graders.

Groark and Iyer took home the win with an 11-4 victory over Brown and Magnani for the 2005 Championship.