Pickleball, Badminton, and Cheese Rolling Tryouts

Have you ever wanted to join a sports team, but none of the sports provided by Valencia sounded intriguing to you? Well, you're in luck, since Valencia and the HartDistrict have commissioned the addition of three new sports teams!

If you have ever wanted to play a racket game but tennis has always seemed like a waste of time then pickleball is for you! This fast-paced game shrinks tennis down to a smaller court, but with much more rapid fun. There will be a total of 12 spots for both the male and female categories, but there will likely be more in the coming years as the sport continues to gain more popularity. Currently, there are two spots taken with Matthias Tekeste and Sasha Vonn acting as the boys and girls captains, respectively, for next year. Tryouts will begin the first day of next school year from  3–5 PM at the tennis courts. Be sure to show up if interested! 

If you are looking to play an alternative racket sport, then look no further, as we are also adding badminton to the district’s catalog of sports. Badminton has become popular in the Asian and European regions, with the sport being a mix of tennis and volleyball. Similar to pickleball, there will be 12 spots for both the boys and girls teams, with tryouts happening on December 1 and ending on December 7, from 4 PM – 6 PM in the gym. There are currently no taken spots, meaning anybody has a chance of making it! Please note that, unlike pickleball, students trying out must bring their own equipment.

The final sport being introduced is quite possibly the most hotly anticipated of all them. After much protest, numerous students are ecstatic over the inclusion of cheese rolling as a sport for the school district. For those who are uncultured or blissfully unaware, cheese rolling is a popular European sport that involves running after a wheel of cheese down a hill. The rules of cheese rolling are straightforward: a group of people line up at the top of a hill and start running to the bottom as soon as the cheese begins to roll down. Due to the excitement over this sport’s introduction, many spots have already been filled with Kian De Alwis and DaWhight Huward acting as this year’s captains.

Tryouts will occur only on May 4 at 6 PM. Please remember that cheese rolling is a dangerous sport and the school is not liable for any injuries caused during any cheese rolling events. Have fun out there!