Thursday, March 20, 2025
The North Shore Coalition Against Substance Abuse has found a winning formula to engage local youth and keep them active through an innovative pickleball program. Held weekly at Gold Coast Pickleball, the initiative has garnered significant community support and participation since its launch last fall.
According to Sean Trager, CASA’s co-president, the program has been a resounding success, regularly reaching capacity with roughly 100 enthusiastic participants each Friday.
“The beauty of it is that this is a physical depiction of what being clean and sober and drug-free is,” Trager noted. “We certainly want to have the education and we want to warn the kids about the dangers of substance use and abuse, but at the end of the day giving them a substantial behavioral change that will preclude them from being put in those dangerous situations is probably the most valuable.”
The idea for the program emerged from a desire to provide local youth with a positive outlet after hours.
“Many of our board members play pickleball, so we decided to try it out,” Trager explained. “It’s been a great success, offering kids a safe space to compete, learn, and grow physically, psychologically, and emotionally.”
Bruce Kennedy, treasurer of CASA, emphasized the program’s impact on community engagement and socialization among youth. A pickleball player himself, Kennedy said that one of the most rewarding aspects has been seeing some of the participants stop attending the CASA pickleball to organize their own pickleball events.
“It takes kids away from isolation and puts them in a group,” Kennedy remarked. “It’s great to see them intermixing with people that they might not otherwise be communicating with.”
The program operates on a nominal fee structure, $20, to cover costs, with CASA subsidizing the other $20 of the cost to ensure accessibility. Kennedy noted plans to expand the program due to its popularity, adding an additional court to accommodate growing demand.
“We’re committed to providing positive activities for young people,” Kennedy stated. “The response from both participants and parents has been overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing the need for such initiatives in our community.”
Looking ahead, CASA plans to organize a pickleball tournament as a fundraiser, building on the program’s success and community engagement efforts. For more information on CASA’s pickleball program or to get involved, visit their website at NSCASA.org or contact them at NorthShoreCASA@gmail.com.
