April 25-27, Intramural Sports (IM) and the Pickleball Club collaborated to host the third annual IM Pickleball Tournament at Pioneer Park. Members of the Pickleball Club, which officially began this spring, filled the courts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with their paddles in tow. The club and other pickleball enthusiasts played multiple rounds for D1, D2 and D3 pools, based on players’ competition preference, so that participants had the chance to play against pairs with varying levels of competitive pickleball skill.
Meera Jain, who organizes all racket sports events for Intramural Sports, saw the tournament as a way to enjoy some spring sunshine and get off campus. Jain also organized pickleball tournaments in 2024, but this weekend’s competition was special because it marked the first collaboration between IM and the Pickleball Club.
“We had done [IM pickleball tournaments] before and then [the Pickleball Club President] just reached out, and we were like ‘do you guys want to collab?’” Jain said.
So, this year, rather than only competing for the coveted IM T-shirts, teams also played for the chance to win prizes donated by the Pickleball Club. Cameron Yang, the President of the Pickleball Club, arranged for the winners to receive top-of-the-line paddles at the end of the tournament.
“We, [on] the Pickleball Club’s end, mainly did prizes for the winners. That’s what we’re contributing — [our prizes] and our resources. We have a ton of paddles that are quite good,” Yang said.
Yang also hoped that the tournament would bring more people interested in pickleball to the club and to the Pioneer Park courts.
“Honestly, I’m just excited to see a bunch of people out there playing pickleball, since it is our club’s aim to expand it among students on the campus, and it’s good to see that,” Yang said. “So many people are interested, and [the 2024 IM Tournament] is kind of what inspired [the formation of the Pickleball Club] last year because we saw the IM tournament, and there was pretty good showing.”
The two on-campus groups attracted 14 pairs for the tournament last weekend, and hope to continue to cultivate interest in the sport next year.
Some players looked forward to the competition the most. Christiane Carlisle and Natalie Lundberg, who played together in the D2 pool, shared their excitement in between scrimmages as they awaited the start of their game on the sunny Saturday.
“[We’re excited to] get out there. It’s such great weather. Yeah, I’m, just excited to play,” Carlisle said.
“I’m psyched. It’s fun out here. A little bit of competition, but we’re excited,” Lundberg added.
Although Carlisle and Lundberg are not currently members of the Pickleball Club, they appreciated that the tournament gave them the chance to stay active and play against other students. The pair later won their match on Saturday afternoon, and went on to win the tournament on Monday afternoon.
The Pickleball Club currently meets in Sherwood on Tuesdays 2:15 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 5:15 p.m. to 7 p.m., but also hopes to create a more accessible schedule next fall to include more students during the week. As they look ahead to the fall semester and reflect on the success of the Spring 2025 IM Pickleball Tournament, the club is planning to expand their attendance and form a more competitive club.
“I think the alternate goal and what would be really nice is if we could go to the national tournament for universities for pickleball. They’re starting to do that among bigger public schools,” Yang said. “For now, we just need to keep attracting more students to the sport. I think it’s a problem of just getting people to try it, getting people to try something new. Because, I think once they start playing, it gets pretty addictive.”
Thanks to collaboration with Intramural Sports, pickleball players on campus had the chance to practice their game and win against competitors at last week’s tournament. IM and the Pickleball Club will continue updating fans on events through their social media: @wcpbc and @whitmanimsports on Instagram.