Even as pickleball sees massive growth, racquetball remains popular with younger generation of players

This week, Portland is the host city for a national high school tournament in a sport you may not even know local high school athletes still participate in: racquetball.

The sport itself has been around for decades. And much like the massive boom in popularity that pickleball has experienced in recent years, racquetball had its own explosive growth period, particularly in the United States. From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, it was the fastest-growing sport in the country. Millions of people began playing it and the sport had frequent crossover into popular culture, too, with memorable scenes in TV shows and hit movies like Wall Street and Splash.

Oregon is one of the few places in the country where racquetball still finds a density of players. Around 200 Oregon students spread out over a dozen different high schools played in the Oregon High School Racquetball League, or OHSRL, for the 2024-2025 season. Over 100 of them are playing in this week’s National High School Racquetball Championships at Gresham’s Cascade Athletic Club and Portland’s Multnomah Athletic Club.

For several days and multiple matches, they will face out-of-state competitors from California, Florida, Illinois, Colorado and Missouri. The latter has the highest number of players visiting the Rose City by far. Over 130 players from St. Louis and surrounding cities are in town.

Jonathan Greenberg, director of operations with U.S.A. Racquetball, notes that for the last several years Portland and St. Louis have alternated as host cities for the event, a reflection of the strong history each region has with the sport.

“It’s just grassroots,” he said. “A lot of professional racquetball players started out in those areas and then just gave back to the racquetball community and started these high school programs.”

For Oregon high schools, racquetball is considered a “Club Sport.” That means anyone can sign up and play. There are no cuts and no varsity or junior levels. Some students come to the league with experience, but most had not tried the game until they joined their school’s respective team. Unlike other winter sports such as basketball or swimming a high number of players in the OHSRL have only been playing for a few years at most.

“I got introduced based off friends wanting me to play. And I wanted a winter sport,” said Jacob O’Brien, a senior at Beaverton’s Southridge High. He started playing as a junior. “I also play tennis, and I found it was a good way to sort of prepare myself and stay active while I’m waiting for tennis. But I actually found I enjoy the sport even more.”

At league events, players compete in singles matches, doubles, and mixed pairings. Each team earns points based on wins, losses, and score differential. Ultimately there are elements of both a team game and an individual sport.

Samuel Lopez Chacon, a senior at Portland’s Lincoln High, says the supportive environment is one of the aspects he likes most.

“Your team is always there cheering you on and the coaches are really there in the action with you,” he explained. “So, it makes it feel like you’re not alone.”

The coaching staff and assistance to players varies from school to school. But like many other school-affiliated sports and activities, the OHSRL relies on parents and the broader community to make it all work. For example, none of the high schools in the league have their own courts for practice or competitions. Instead, league tournaments are held at Beaverton’s Sunset Athletic Club, Portland’s Multnomah Athletic Club and Gresham’s Cascade Athletic Club. The latter was the host for the Oregon High School Racquetball Championships, held earlier this month.

In addition to those facilities, various L.A. Fitness locations offer reduced-price access for team practices. One of the challenges facing the league is that there are simply fewer places to play than there used to be.

“Losing courts is definitely a challenge,” said Ro-El Cordero, President and Commissioner of the OHSRL and a board member for USA Racquetball. “The list was longer five to 10 years ago.”

But Cordero and others involved with the league are optimistic about its future, especially when they see students enjoying the game, recruiting more students, and continuing with the sport even after high school ends.

One of those students is Sprague High School senior Izzy Youso. She won the Girl’s Division at the state championships and is far from done with competing.

“I actually chose my college based on if they had a racquetball team or not,” she said. “I’m going to OSU because they have a team. And I want to continue playing after that too.”

O’Brien at Southridge shares similar hopes.

“I’d love to play this after high school,” he said. “I’m lucky I’m in Oregon and it’s such a racquetball hub, to where I could play tournaments because there’s so many in Oregon, and I’m thankful for that.”