Whether you’ve heard its strange name, driven past a court or have been on the internet at all in this past year, there is a good chance you have heard of the popular sport on the rise, pickleball.
Pickleball has become one of the fastest-growing sports throughout the last couple of years, gaining participants of all ages and demographics, including students at Chatham University. There will be an intramural pickleball game at noon on Nov. 17 in the Athletic & Fitness Center for students looking to engage in a friendly match with other fans of the sport.
What it is
Often viewed as a relative of tennis, pickleball is very much its own sport. It’s known to be a mix between tennis, ping pong and badminton. Because a pickleball court is smaller than a tennis court, the game is also more fast-paced. Unlike a tennis ball, in pickleball the ball has many holes in it, allowing for the airflow to pass through it, slowing it down in the air. This makes the game energetic yet not as exhausting, allowing it to be more accessible to various age groups.
“I really like how it brings people of all ages together. [Collaborative] play is at an all-time high in pickleball,” Brady Mensch ‘28 said.
Pickleball’s place at Chatham
Chatham has a history with pickleball when former President Dr. David Finegold introduced “Pickleball with the Prez,” a weekly initiative for the Chatham community to interact with him in a fun and competitive way. Since his departure in 2023, though, there aren’t as many opportunities to play on campus.
“The former president and students were interested in [pickleball] being more than a once-a-semester event, so we set up the courts for them when they wanted,” Chatham’s Assistant Athletic Director Danielle Pais said. “In the past couple years, we haven’t seen much interest in [having pickleball events] more than once a semester.”
Now, pickleball is being offered as an intramural event at Chatham in November as a way to bring Chatham pickleball enthusiasts – and anyone interested – in the sport together to play.
“There will be prizes and giveaways for participants,” Pais said. “It will be a two-court system, and all are welcome to participate.”
Interested students can register for the Intramural Pickleball game at my.chatham.edu or check out more information on sports at Chatham at gochathamcougars.com.
