While many sleep in or run errands on Saturday mornings, IEP case manager Andie Ward and other staff reach for their paddles and head to the tennis courts at HHS, which double as pickleball courts, Ward said.
After first playing pickleball at a large staff event last year, Ward said she was delighted with the sport and never looked back.
Since then, Ward said she and paraeducator Trevor Patton have been organizing weekly staff pickleball games, beginning last school year. They initiated the activity to promote staff bonding after the topic came up in discussion.
“Pickleball is a light sport, so mostly it’s coordination and maintaining our coordination, which we all enjoy,” Ward said. “It is a wonderful social event to get together without having the stress of work.”
However, the games are not just confined to FUHSD staff, as members are free to invite family, friends and neighbors to partake in their games, Patton said. Helping to foster a welcoming environment, Patton said he serves as an unofficial referee.
“It’s a low-stress environment,” Patton said. “I’m not saying, ‘Hey, you’re doing that wrong’ or ‘We’re gonna scratch that point off.’ I’ll usually count the point or redo the point, but after the point has been scored, then I’ll mention, ‘Hey, usually we play like this.’”
English teacher Eileen Jones said she joined the meetups to connect with her coworkers on a deeper level by socializing with them. As someone who used to play tennis at a local club in middle school, jumping back into pickleball was a breeze, she said.
“It’s fun,” Jones said. ”The little banter of competitiveness is very good-natured, and nobody’s really keeping track of who wins what.”
Beyond connecting with fellow staff, Jones said the activity offers a fun way to fit exercise into her routine.“The purpose [of pickleball] is really for a little bit of downtime and some social fun,” Jones said. “Everybody that shows up [likes] moving around, and they like getting mildly physical, [or] getting some fresh air, which is great, so it serves two equal purposes.”
