WESTFIELD, Ind. — The fastest growing sport in the country is pickleball and central Indiana is the epicenter of the sport during the first week of January.
The U.S. Collegiate Championships included two tournaments for college players — the Collegiate Team Championships and/or the Collegiate Individual Championships. Up for grabs was $50,000 in scholarship money.
Over the weekend was the Midwest Open, which is an amateur competition designed for players of all ages and levels.
The tournament's director said, in the last few years, he's seeing a big shift in demographics for the sport.
"What's so amazing is that the average age is no longer great grandfather's sport. You've got colleges...we've got a lot of youthfullness coming into the sport, so it's exciting," said Ken Herrmann, founder of the APP Tour and 2024 tournament director.
Utah Tech won the college championship finals. The Midwest Open plays through Sunday.