 As the popularity of pickleball grows, Borough President Vito Fossella announced upcoming tournaments for high school and intermediate school students. “We see across Staten Island and across the country, how pickleball has become the rage and perhaps the fastest growing sport in the country,” said Borough President Fossella during a press conference in the Michael J. Petrides School. “It’s not just about the sport, it’s about teamwork and communication. That’s the essence of it and if you don’t have good teamwork and if you don’t have good communication, the team could fall apart. Isn’t that a motto for life -- teamwork and communication and that’s what we have here on Staten Island.” The high school tournament will take place on Saturday, Oct. 28, and the intermediate school tournament will take place on Sunday, Nov. 18. “I want to thank our borough president for always thinking about our children,” said Dr. Marion Wilson, superintendent of Staten Island’s District 31. “I am excited to have it on Staten Island because why not? We don’t follow trends, we set them -- and pickleball is something that is for all ages.” The high school tournament is being coordinated by Alan Lewin and the intermediate school tournament is being coordinated by Principal Nicholas Mele of Markham (I.S. 51) Intermediate School. “We’re really excited to add pickleball to the sports that we already started last year,” said Principal Mele. “We’re hoping that the interest in the sport really expands as we move forward and hopefully, we can create bigger opportunities for kids to play.” Borough President Fossella has been working with the City Parks Department to increase the number of pickleball courts on Staten Island and will be hosting the Borough President’s Pickleball Cup for adult teams at the College of Staten Island on Oct. 7 and Oct. 8. “I think pickleball is a sport where so many different people can play on so many different levels, so why not get out there and meet new people,” said Borough President Fossella. Comments are closed.
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