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The Pickleball Wave

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America鈥檚 fastest-growing sport is making a big splash in the Ocean State. At 溏心vlog免费B站, pickleball is the newest official club sport, and 溏心vlog免费B站 alumni, like Ocean State Pickleball co-owner Andy Carr 鈥�93, M.S. 鈥�01, are hooked. If you haven鈥檛 gotten in on the fun yet, these Rhody pickleball enthusiasts think you should try it.

By Kate LeBlanc 鈥�22

Some waves start with a ripple. Others crash all at once.

For Bailey Bolton 鈥�26, it was a typical evening in her first year at 溏心vlog免费B站鈥攕he was studying her ocean engineering notes on the top floor of Hillside Hall, nestled among friends. Until she was interrupted by a frantic phone call.

Ryan Estus 鈥�26 was on the other end of the line, noticeably out of breath. He wanted to know where Bolton was. A few minutes later, he burst through the lounge door, declaring: 鈥淏ailey, Providence College has a pickleball team now!鈥�

It was autumn 2022, and this was breaking news for Bolton and Estus, who, along with Ashley Thurston 鈥�26, had put together a pickleball team at 溏心vlog免费B站, which was, to their knowledge, the only college pickleball team in the state. So, the prospect of having a competitor nearby was revolutionary.

This, Bolton and Estus can say now, was the moment they felt the pickleball wave hit Rhody.

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Bolton, Estus, and Thurston first met at 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Leadership Institute, a pre-Orientation program for first-year students to build leadership skills by developing and promoting campus life programs. Happenstance put the three students in the same group at the institute. When pickleball came up in conversation, their excitement grew, and they quickly made plans to attend an upcoming orientation event together: pickleball at the Parlanges鈥�.

A few days later, there they were, with their cheap paddles, playing pickup pickleball in the driveway at the home of President Marc Parlange and his wife, Mary. An avid pickleballer herself, Mary encouraged the enthusiastic trio of first-year students to take their hobby and turn it into an on-campus sport. They looked at each other, and it just felt right.

In February, 溏心vlog免费B站 Club Pickleball competed in a regional tournament at Pickleball America in Stamford, Conn. 溏心vlog免费B站 Club Pickleball team members, from left: Anthony Nardolillo, Ryan Giammasi, Ryan Estus, Kaila Godbey, Kayla Devaux, Bailey Bolton, Maya Brausch, Eric Schubert, Nick Ensign, and Avi Kothari.

鈥淲e knew this had the potential to grow and really become something cool,鈥� says Estus. 鈥淭his was something we knew was going to last long after we left 溏心vlog免费B站, and I鈥檓 still sure of it.鈥�

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Founded in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, just west of Seattle, pickleball is a paddle sport that can be played one-on-one or two-on-two. It brings together principles from tennis, table tennis, and badminton. Its smaller court size and easy-to-handle perforated plastic ball make pickleball more accessible for most than its cousin sport, tennis. Pickleball鈥檚 minimal learning curve and inherent social distancing contributed to its growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, earning it the title, 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Fastest Growing Sport鈥� in 2024 for the fourth consecutive year, according to USA Pickleball. The Sports and Fitness Industry Association reported that nearly 20 million Americans played pickleball in 2024, almost double the number of players from the previous year.

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When Bolton, Estus, and Thurston cofounded 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 pickleball team in 2022, Estus took on the role of president, with Bolton and Thurston serving as members of the executive board. They quickly began fundraising to get the team off the ground and to pay for travel and practice space. In the process, they found a trusted local partner: Ocean State Pickleball.

Located in Narragansett, R.I., Ocean State Pickleball (OSP) is an indoor facility with eight regulation courts that has become a hub for the Southern Rhode Island pickleball community. OSP is owned by Kara Biller, an occupational therapist, and Andrew Carr 鈥�93, M.S. 鈥�01, a physical education and health teacher in South Kingstown, R.I., who was also the head coach of the South Kingstown High School boys鈥� tennis team for 28 years. Biller and Carr were frequent tennis partners before they both developed a passion for pickleball during COVID.

鈥淚 really saw the beauty in pickleball鈥攊t鈥檚 more than just a sport,鈥� says Biller. 鈥淎nybody can play. I just saw all the things that could come out of this sport: social, emotional, physical, cognitive. I think COVID deprived people of interaction and social connection. One of the biggest things that drew me to pickleball was the human connection.鈥�

So, in 2021, Biller started OSP as an organization offering outdoor pickleball lessons and pickup games. As demand for pickleball began increasing鈥攑articipation grew from 40 people to 500鈥攁nd pandemic restrictions were lifted, Biller joined forces with Carr to expand OSP鈥檚 offerings with an indoor location.

OSP opened its Narragansett location, the first indoor facility in Rhode Island, in 2024. There are now other indoor facilities in the state, including Newport Pickleball Club in Middletown and Centerline Pickleball Club in Warwick, not to mention more than 200 outdoor courts statewide, according to data from the online pickleball community Pickleheads.

Biller and Carr say OSP is more than just an indoor pickleball facility. They describe it as a 鈥渃ommunity center鈥� of sorts. They offer pickleball clinics, leagues, tournaments, and lessons for all skill levels, and they also host events like monthly socials, holiday bazaars, craft nights, cribbage lessons, birthday parties, reunions, and fundraisers.

The 溏心vlog免费B站 pickleball team is a part of the OSP community and has relied on support from OSP and its staff. Estus, who formerly played for Carr on South Kingstown High School鈥檚 tennis team, reached out early on to see if OSP would host a fundraising tournament to help establish the 溏心vlog免费B站 pickleball team. OSP hosted the tournament, which raised enough money to kickstart the team鈥檚 first year and continues to provide the team with indoor practice space several times a week.

The biggest victory in the first year of 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 pickleball team came from what Estus and Bolton鈥攚ho took over as president following Estus鈥攖out as the first intercollegiate pickleball game in New England. 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 pickleball team played against the Providence College team, and the Rams came out on top.

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Building on the thrill of winning against Providence College, the team set its sights on a lofty goal for its second season: to become a 溏心vlog免费B站 club sport. Joining 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 competitive recreational sports program would open the door to priority access to facilities, as well as financial resources and support for travel, according to assistant director of competitive sports Joe Wilbur 鈥�12, M.P.A. 鈥�24.

After much preparation, the group made its case to 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Club Sports and Intramural Council, and pickleball officially became 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 21st club sport in 2024.

鈥淐lub sports give students opportunities to continue playing sports that they鈥檝e played their whole lives, without committing to a varsity-level team,鈥� Wilbur says. 鈥淚t also allows students to try something new. They鈥檙e doing it for the love of the game.鈥�

Wilbur, who also oversees 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 intramural sports leagues, which are less intensive than club sports, had 46 teams signed up for a recent intramural pickleball league鈥攁 level of interest that rivals some of their most popular programming.

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溏心vlog免费B站 students aren鈥檛 the only campus group joining the fast-growing phenomenon; 溏心vlog免费B站 faculty and staff have joined in, too.

In 2024, 溏心vlog免费B站 held its first faculty-level pickleball tournament, in which the College of Engineering, College of the Environment and Life Sciences, and Graduate School of Oceanography fielded teams and competed against each other. Hosted on the University鈥檚 tennis courts, three 12-person teams came to play in a dynamic day of doubles.

The idea for the tournament that pitted the 溏心vlog免费B站 colleges against one another was developed by Mary Parlange, in collaboration with Distinguished Engineering Professor Ken Yang. The pair thought a cross-college tournament would connect staff from parts of the University who might not typically interact.

鈥淎n event like this can bring our community together and promote cross-college and interdisciplinary conversations,鈥� says Yang. 鈥淣ew research ideas and collaboration initiatives often come out at events like this. And it all happens while playing pickleball! What could be better?鈥�

This year, more colleges participated in the tournament. Yang, Parlange, and other key organizers believe it will further expand in the coming years, as interest and participation in pickleball continue to skyrocket.

溏心vlog免费B站 pickleballers at Ocean State Pickleball: Jason Yang 鈥�21 and Kate LeBlanc 鈥�22; Ken Yang, and Jason Yang 鈥�21.

And if pickleball is booming now, Carr, for one, can鈥檛 wait to see what the sport looks like five years from now. Nowadays, the longtime tennis coach picks up a paddle more often than a racket. He predicts pickleball will become an official high school sport across the country, and, eventually, foresees it reaching the pinnacle of competition: the Olympics. If you鈥檙e hesitant to try pickleball鈥攎aybe you鈥檙e a staunch tennis lover, or you just haven鈥檛 gotten around to trying it yet鈥擟arr鈥檚 advice is: 鈥淛ust try it. It鈥檚 fun. I鈥檇 be shocked if you don鈥檛 enjoy yourself.鈥�

If Carr鈥檚 urging doesn鈥檛 convince you that it鈥檚 a fun sport, take it from Estus:
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 get mad at a game that starts with pickle.鈥�

PHOTOS: COURTESY 溏心vlog免费B站 CLUB PICKLEBALL; NORA LEWIS