Latest news with #AlmaPadel
Axios
3 days ago
- Business
- Axios
New Chicago-area club bets on padel boom
A new club in Glenview is catering to the growing popularity of the Mexican-born sport of padel. Why it matters: Padel is one of the fastest-growing sports internationally, and enthusiasts say its doubles-only structure makes it great for socializing. Additionally, businesspeople hail it as "the new golf" and consider it great for deal-making. Driving the news: Alma Padel opened in the northwest suburb in April, one of only a few padel courts and clubs in Chicago. Flashback: Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera set up the first-ever padel court in Acapulco in 1969. Zoom in: Alma Padel owner Abigail McCulloch fell in love with padel [pronounced PAH-del] a few years ago as a grad student in Philadelphia. After working with a start-up incubator, she left the East Coast to bring the sport closer to the North Shore, where she grew up. Context: McCulloch tells Axios that Alma caters to current padel players who are looking for a place to play in the Chicago area, but the club is also introducing the sport to athletes and casual players looking for a more athletic and social sport than some other racquet sports. At least two other padel facilities exist in the Chicago area, one in Bridgeport and one in Mundelein. State of play: Padel naturally draws comparisons to pickleball, the racquet sport that has dominated in recent years, but there are plenty of differences. The courts are smaller, and there are no out-of-bounds lines. Players can play the ball off the four walls and it's a game of doubles. The ball is more like a deflated tennis ball rather than pickleball's lightweight ping pong style ball. What they're saying: " People say it's as easy to learn as pickleball, but as hard to truly master as tennis," McCulloch told Axios during a tour of Alma. If you go: Alma Padel has four courts, a juice and cocktail bar, cafe, and other gym amenities like a sauna and yoga classes.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Social services organization Youth Guidance, headquartered in Chicago, holding fundraising gala this week
Since 1924, the social services organization Youth Guidance, as its mission statement says, has created and implemented school-based programs that enable children to overcome obstacles, focus on their education and ultimately to succeed in school and in life. Youth Guidance is located around the nation, but its central office is in Chicago. Weekend Break: Alma Padel in Glenview The Bright Futures Gala, Youth Guidance's premier annual fundraising event to support programs like Becoming A Man (BAM) and Working on Womanhood (WOW), is this Thursday, May 29, at the Hilton Chicago on Michigan Avenue. Skaykira Richards, WOW Director of Program Administration, and Lissette Guzman, WOW Senior Counselor, joined Jewell Hillery — who happens to be emceeing the Bright Futures Gala — on Sunday's WGN Weekend Morning News to talk about Youth Guidance and the gala this week. Sunday Brunch: Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! and Lil' Ba-Ba-Reeba! serve authentic Spanish cuisine in Chicago See the attached video player for the interview, and visit for more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
