On Sunday mornings, Ohio University’s Pickleball Club can be found on the courts of the Golf and Tennis Center. The club allows students to play the sport together and bond over common interests in a fun and competitive environment.
Jacob Sizemore, a senior studying economics, helped found Pickleball Club two years ago. Sizemore, the current president, is responsible for organizing club meetings, arranging tournaments against other Ohio schools and imparting the rules of the game on new players.
“I’m trying to go around and just teach people how to play pickleball (and) promote a positive environment,” Sizemore said.
Within the positive environment of the club there is also room for competition to thrive. Both Sizemore and Tyler Douthwaite, a senior studying mechanical engineering, found a passion for the sport by losing to others and gaining motivation to improve their personal game.
“It’s easy to pick up; it’s fun,” Douthwaite said.
Carter Keinath, a senior studying health and physical education, works as a supervisor at the Golf and Tennis Center. The front desk of the center has served as Keinath’s front row seat to watch the rise of Pickleball Club over the past few years.
“It’s one of those things you can pick up and be competitive even if you’re having fun,” he said. “It’s not too overly complicated.”
According to Keinath, there has been an increase of players since the club’s founding, which occurred right around the time he started working at the Golf and Tennis Center.
“When they’re here it’s definitely unreal, when we have to go outside … the courts are definitely filled with players that want to play,” he said.
Sizemore has seen interest in the club spread from a few curious patrons of the club’s Involvement Fair table to a hoard of passionate pickleballers.
“Last year more people were saying they wanted to try it,“ Sizemore said. “This year when we were at the Involvement Fair, so many people were telling me they’ve been playing all summer with their family and they were looking for our table."
Pickleball appeals to many people for a number of reasons, one of which is the social aspect of the sport.
“I play with a lot of the community members here and I would have never known them … and you’re playing doubles too so you have a partner, you’re constantly talking to them,” Sizemore said.
In addition to being a good social outlet, pickleball is also a perfect form of exercise for people of all ages and fitness levels, Sizemore said.
“It’s a low impact sport that you can still do for exercise while not having to go run or go to the gym, but you’re still definitely burning calories,” Sizemore said.
The relative ease of the sport makes it a feasible option for people of any age, and Keinath also believes the sport is feasible for people of any socio-economic background.
“Pickleball is so cheap and it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “You can get people to play regardless of skill level or age.”
Sizemore described pickleball as “super addictive,” a sentiment echoed by the players that return week after week to play the game. Pickleball Club exists for lovers of the game who seek an outlet to practice with likeminded people and it welcomes students of any skill level to join in the fun.
