Pickle(ball) Palooza‘ for Kids Scheduled for this coming Sunday June 1st at Battle Point Park

Pickleball is for everyone. This weekend, it’s the kids’ turn.

The Bainbridge Island Metro Parks District and Bainbridge Island Pickleball will host the first Pickle Palooza at 1 p.m. Sunday, June 1st, at Battle Point Park. The tournament is designed for youngsters 12- 18 and will feature both a recreational division and a competitive bracket.

“Pickleball is in our DNA on Bainbridge,’ says Carole Kitchell, chairperson of the event. “Kids have learned the game from their parents and grandparents, and in PE class. We want to celebrate our younger players and make sure they feel at home on the courts as older players do.” Additional information is available on the Parks District website: Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District | Home.  More than 40 players have already registered.

While the popularity of the game has exploded in many communities, much of the promotion has targeted working professionals and aging Baby Boomers, says Tom Kelly, Pickle Palooza bracket manager.

“The goal is to get as many boys and girls as possible who are interested to grab a pal and join the Palooza,” Kelly explains. “Everybody is ‘good enough.’ If they don’t have a partner, we try and match them with one. If experienced players from out of the area want to participate, we will move them into a competitive bracket.”

As everyone knows by now, Pickleball has become the nations, if not the world’s, most popular sport. According to the “State of Pickleball: Participation & Infrastructure Report,” compiled by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, along with research from the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP), and USA Pickleball (USA Pickleball), the statistics don’t lie:

— There were an estimated 19.8 million pickleball players in 2024 in the United States, according to the SFIA Topline Participation Report for 2025. This is a 45.8% increase from 2023. (The APP, which uses different methodologies, found that there were 48.3 million pickleball players in the US, according to their most recent research from 2023.)

— Pickleball participation has grown an incredible 311% over the last three years, according to the SFIA.

— Pickleball has been the fastest-growing sport in America for the past four years.

— The average player age is lowering. The 25-34 age group now has the most pickleball players (2.3 million), and 1 million more children started playing the sport.

“These are some amazing statistics,” adds Kelly.

Meanwhile, Kitchell says she hopes that the turnout will spark more of a kids’ presence in the annual Founder’s Tournament, scheduled this year for August 13-17 at Battle Point Park, perhaps in the form of a parent-child or grandparent-child division. The Founders Tournament has become so popular nationally that organizers had to initiate a lottery system. To learn more about the tournament, visit: 2025 Founders Tournament.

“If you play Pickleball, you want to come to Bainbridge,” Kitchell said. “it’s the home of the game. We need to make sure our kids feel at home, too.”

Source Materials: Images from Bing; graphic from Tom Kelly 

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