Crossroads Students Advocate for Pickleball to Become a Varsity Sport

Los Angeles Students Launch First High School Pickleball League in California

Brothers Boone and Ford Casady are carving a path for the sport of pickleball, driven by a passion that extends beyond personal achievement. At just 16 years old, the twins are recognized among the top junior players globally, but their primary goal is to promote pickleball within high schools and colleges across the nation.

In collaboration with fellow Crossroads High School students Samantha Leeds and Hannah Carey, the Casady brothers have established the Los Angeles High School Pickleball League, marking California’s inaugural league of its kind. The league’s first match is scheduled for January 24 at the Santa Monica Pickleball Center, featuring teams from Crossroads, Brentwood, Windward, Palisades, Notre Dame, and Santa Monica Pacifica Christian, with the possibility of more schools joining.

The season will feature biweekly matches held at a single location, following a format reminiscent of high school tennis. Each event will include three doubles lines, one singles line, and “friendlies” to ensure that all players, including beginners and alternates, have the opportunity to compete. The season will culminate in semifinals and a championship match.

“My brother and I grew up playing competitive tennis and baseball,” Boone Casady reflected. “We’d been playing tennis since we were about three, and in eighth grade, we moved to Barcelona to train at the Emilio Sánchez Academy for tennis. We were first introduced to pickleball while in Mexico playing with friends, and we immediately fell in love with it. After our first tournament in Palm Springs, we realized we’d found something special.”

The twins noted that while many young players pursue pickleball individually, a structured, school-based league did not exist. "We wanted girls to be involved from the start — it was important to us that the league be coed and inclusive," Boone emphasized. Along with Samantha and Hannah, they are co-founders of the Crossroads Pickleball Club, aiming to enhance participation at their school and throughout Los Angeles.

Notably, the league was entirely student-driven, distinguishing it from many youth sports initiatives. Over the past two years, the founders have coordinated with the Southern Section for guidance and recognition, engaged with school administrators to sanction pickleball as a varsity sport, organized early tournaments, and helped local schools transition their club teams into varsity programs. “In high school sports, students usually join a system that already exists,” Leeds noted. “With pickleball, we had to build the system ourselves.”

Competition for the Casady brothers remains fierce, particularly against one another. At the upcoming 2024 Junior PPA National Championships, Boone secured the No. 1 seed after defeating Ford, but the two later clashed again for the gold medal, with Ford coming out on top. The duo also excelled in doubles, finishing first and second in the country in the 14s division.

The twins have also achieved recognition at the 2025 Junior PPA National Championships, where they earned silver and bronze in the Boys U16 singles, and partnered for silver in doubles. Their efforts to establish the Los Angeles High School Pickleball League earned them the Community Assist Award. Both are straight-A students and play on the varsity baseball team.

“I remember leaving PE after playing pickleball, heading to soccer practice, and honestly feeling kind of bored,” Leeds recounted about her initial experiences with the game. “All I wanted to do was keep playing pickleball.” Meanwhile, Carey shared her own journey into the sport. “Most kids would sit out or look bored, but as the pickleball nets went up, our peers were engaged and connecting over their love of pickleball. So, Samantha and I began petitioning to create a league.”

At just 13 years old, the girls presented their idea to Anthony Locke, head of school at Crossroads, creating a pitch deck and a short video to illustrate their vision for pickleball as a legitimate school sport. “We were told that forming school-based teams and leagues is necessary for eventual CIF recognition,” Leeds explained. “I created a Varsity Team Starter Kit, which has helped leaders at other schools establish their own teams.”

The inaugural league season will run from January to March, with plans to align future seasons with the traditional winter sports window, running from November through January. Boone expressed optimism for the sport’s future, stating, “Pickleball has the potential to become a true varsity sport at both the high school and college levels. We’re so excited to help push it forward.”