On the ever-expanding plane of club sports, it’s arguable that none among the dozens of niche masses have risen as meteorically as pickleball.
For a game that can be explanatorily boiled down to tennis-lite, with paddles and hollow balls in place of rackets and the standard neon felt, the unprecedented growth can only be explained by the passion of those who play it. The game has become popular enough to host a national championship tournament as well as oodles of offshoots in local parks and on college campuses. Pickleball is a full-on phenomenon nationwide.
Notable among the latter examples is our very own campus. Pickleball has become a heavily trafficked club sport among Asbury’s extensive lineup, and according to athlete Aiden Jones, it’s for good reason.
“What truly sets pickleball apart is its inclusivity. It’s a game made for all sorts of people, regardless of skill level or fitness background,” he said.
This is one of the many reasons that a great number of people have picked it up in rapid succession, one after another. It has become a mass movement.
However, it’s not an easy sport. Not by any stretch. “The technical skill involved in improving has a learning curve that cannot be ignored,” said Jones from experience.
Thankfully for those behind the curve, it isn’t just the game itself that is inclusive: it’s the people that play it. Pick-up pickleball is around every corner on our campus and hundreds of others, from the indoor courts at the Luce to outdoor locations scattered all across Wilmore and into Lexington.
It becomes easy to understand the sport’s prosperity when you imagine one friend playing for the first time, going home to tell more friends and bringing them back the next time. The chain is accessible and infinite, and with courts populated everywhere at just about any time of day, it doesn’t take long for lines to form and gear to sell out.
“I got introduced to the sport by some friends and coworkers who were playing on a daily basis in my hometown this summer,” said Rylan Meadows, a casual player and senior at Asbury. “I think it’s so popular because it’s a fairly easy and inexpensive sport to partake in. It’s a great way to exercise and enjoy the outdoors on a cool summer evening.”
The sport has a little something for anyone, so the fact that seemingly everyone has picked up a paddle at one point or another by now isn’t a shock.
Whether casually or competitively, often or every now and again, pickleball has become a proven pastime for anyone and everyone in the sports space. Everyone has their own reason to get involved, and with a wide community of helping hands it’s hard not to get caught up in the wave.
