Pickleball secured their opportunity to compete for a county championship on Monday, defeating Churchill en route to a divisional championship.
The team stared into the unknown at the beginning of the season, as Montgomery County was one of the first school districts in the nation to introduce varsity-level pickleball.
“I didn’t know what to expect going into the season,” coach Larry Bublick said. “But it’s been an exciting first year. A lot of kids who haven’t played the sport before are really thriving on this team.”
The welcoming nature of the sport clashed with the need to win games. Instead of struggling to get players, nearly 50 students tried out for the team, leading to tough coaching decisions.
“It’s supposed to be an inclusive sport, but at the end of the day it’s also a varsity program,” Bublick said. “The real difficulty is creating a culture and the expectations for what it means to be part of a team, but our players have really developed it through a bond. Especially our seniors, who’ve been great leaders to our team. It was nice to honor them and grab a win.”
Athletes play exclusively in doubles pairs, with a corollary athlete being paired up with a non-accommodational athlete. While there can be communication or technical challenges, the team’s record speaks for itself.
“It’s a little different from club or individual pickleball,” junior Jacob Yee said. “Especially because of some of the rules the county’s implemented to help some of the corollary athletes, but it’s been fun to play as a real team.”
Senior Brady Chan, the manager of the team, expressed his pride in the team’s progress.
“It’s been great to see our bond develop,” Chan said. “At the beginning of the season, we were all complete strangers, but we’ve come together and uplifted the team as a collective throughout the season.”
WJ goes into the county championships as the reigning favorite. With the way they’re improving, they’re looking to deliver on their promises.
