31 Mastering the Kitchen Pickleball made itself known around campus in the 2023-2024 school year through new courts opening in Berryhill Park and an up and coming travel club sports team. Seniors Michael Newman and Kade Walker were the captains of the travel club pickleball team in fall 2023. Walker discovered his love for pickleball during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. “My family painted pickleball lines under our driveway and bought a net and that’s what we did everyday,” said Walker. “There’s so many other sports like it, like ping pong or tennis. It’s like a mix of the two and is easy to get into.” In the next school year Walker and Newman heard about a group of people who played pickleball on Wednesday nights and decided to join. In the same year the pickleball travel club team was started. Newman felt as the pickleball community grows, it is easier to get involved and meet new people along the way. “We’ll show up other times, not during practice and we’ll see other friends that are also out there playing,” Newman said. “There’s a lot of people involved in it without actually being involved with the team.” Senior Kinley Corely picked up pickleball from a pickleball and badminton course she took her sophomore year. Corely said she played at least once a week, often found new friends and connections through the sport and recommended it to any level of player. MASTERING THE KITCHEN A pickleball outbreak overtakes campus as students enjoy the newest craze. “I like it since it’s easy for everyone to play,” Corely said. “You don’t necessarily have to be super good at it and it’s not super strenuous. The rules are so easy to learn and honestly you can make it up as you go if you don’t know the rules.” Sophomore Amelia Slater and junior Haley Simmons decided to try out pickleball one night with a group of friends and found every court at Berryhill Park packed. “At my internship this summer all of my co-workers were really into pickleball,” said Slater. “When we got [to Berryhill] there wasn’t even room to play pickleball. It felt like overnight everyone is insanely talented at the sport and has been obsessed with it for years.” Simmons was first introduced to pickleball her freshman year when she, like Corley, took it as her kinesiology activity credit. Before her first semester she had never heard of the sport before. She started playing more in fall 2023 once Berryhill opened its courts. “I think it’s fun that a lot of people are doing it,” said Simmons. “It’s a way to get a bunch of people involved since you have to include so many people. The courts are a little crowded, but other than that, it’s great.” Simmons said people used to be clueless to pickleball, but it has been fun watching it grow in popularity around campus. Story by Randi Tubbs
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==