High school gets into pickle

Manitoba’s newest public school sports facility is bringing the pickleball craze to an inner-city campus.

Gordon Bell High School unveiled four custom-made courts for the popular paddle sport this fall as part of a multi-faceted makeover.

Grade 12 student Matea Thiessen Unger called the courts “the cherry on top,” of a multi-year construction project that consumed much of her high school career.

“It was happening for so long — it felt like it was never going to end,” the 16-year-old said.

Gordon Bell has been undergoing construction since 2023 to install a new mechanical system, building envelope and make energy efficient upgrades.

The courtyard area was inaccessible for the better part of the last several years when the project began after the final bell rang to signal summer break in 2023.

The southeast corner of the lot was off-limits as crews stored materials and used heavy machinery.

Winnipeg School Division administration reported the initiative cost about $25 million. The outdoor renovations, funded in partnership with basketball initiative Buckets and Borders, accounted for about $500,000 of that sum.

“It’s now a place that’s meeting the spirit of the community,” superintendent Matt Henderson said as he stood on the freshly-painted basketball court depicting a panther, the school’s mascot, Friday.

Henderson noted that students informed the blueprint to revitalize the track and basketball courts.

They were the ones who requested, “of all things,” infrastructure for pickleball, he said.

Phys-ed teacher Sean Cruickshank has been hosting classes on the purple and blue-coloured pickleball courts since the new school year began.

“They’re great for promoting long-term health and wellness,” Cruickshank said, adding he always aims to expose students to as many forms of exercise as possible in the hopes they’ll find something they’ll want to stick with after graduation.

The average age of a pickleball player in the province — 56 years old, the president of Pickleball Manitoba said — is more than three times the age of most of the students at Gordon Bell.

“Typically, sports start with the youth and build to an active aging situation. This sport is doing the opposite,” said Ted Fardoe.

The association has 2,200 active members, “99 per cent” of whom are adults, Fardoe said. In 2022, it had about 400.

Fardoe said his board is prioritizing school outreach to grow the sport and recruit future pickleball stars.

He’s anticipating a record number of young athletes will take part in Pickleball Manitoba’s third annual high school tournament in 2027.

The inaugural event drew about 100 players to a city-owned facility in May 2025. The latest edition, hosted at the then-freshly minted Picklr Winnipeg South site, was attended by 150 students.

There’s been representation from Winkler (Garden Valley Collegiate) and Charleswood (Oak Park High School), among other communities.

Pickleball Manitoba isn’t yet part of the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association, “although, we’re on their radar,” the president said.

Dozens of courts, both made-to-order and overlaid on pre-existing pitches for other sports, have opened since the provincial sports association was founded in 2015.

Hugh John Macdonald School celebrated the grand opening of a multipurpose court that features basketball, tennis and pickleball markings five years ago.

Mischka Valencia, 16, said she’s “so excited” to try pickleball when she has phys-ed next semester.

“We feel special, to have this court and a beautiful school… It’s an amazing part of our legacy,” the Grade 12 student said.

Both Mischka and Matea, co-presidents of their student council, said the makeover — complete just in time for Gordon Bell’s 100th anniversary celebrations— have boosted morale.

“It’s the perfect time to be starting here. For an outdoor setup, it is a dream for a phys-ed teacher,” said Cruickshank, who joined Gordon Bell’s staff team this fall.

(At his previous school, Cruickshank organized outings to a community pickleball court.)

So far, there’s been widespread engagement among students, he said, adding that he’s open to forming a pickleball team if there’s interest.

Cruickshank is all but certain the sport isn’t simply a fad.

“It’s so easily accessible and it’s for all ages so it’s going to be something that people can always play,” he said.

For now, he is coaching varsity boys volleyball and helping colleagues out with the cross-country running club.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca