College isn’t just about expanding your mind, gaining your independence and cramming in as many parties as possible in four years. Today, it’s also about pickleball.
At least it is if you are a student at Stanford University in Stanford, California.
That’s because earlier this year, the university unveiled eight new pickleball courts on campus, converting former tennis courts to this new use. According to a feature story in The Stanford Daily, these pickleball courts have quickly become a popular destination for university students.
That doesn’t mean that everyone is a fan. The Stanford Daily reported that some on-campus worry that the new pickleball courts will make it even more difficult for tennis players to find available on-campus courts.
The new courts are an especially welcome perk for Stanford’s pickleball club. Before the eight new courts opened at the university’s West Campus Courts, club members practiced at Mitchell Park in Palo Alto, California. Club members can now practice on campus.
According to the Stanford Daily, the courts are open daily from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. except for when classes are being held on them. Players must make reservations for four of the courts. The remaining four are available for open play.
“They did a good job of identifying the culture momentum behind the sport,” said August Burton, president of Stanford University’s unofficial pickleball club, in the Stanford Daily’s story. “They knew that it’s big and it’s growing. They saw a need and they took care of it.”
As is often the case today, the new courts have generated some controversy. The Stanford Daily reports that tennis players at the university are frustrated that so many tennis courts are being converted to pickleball.
Kavin Anand, co-president of Stanford Club Tennis, told the Daily that “it’s a real pain finding available courts” today.
A compromise might soon arise, though. According to Stanford University’s Recreation and Wellness website, the university plans to install permanent pickleball courts on campus. Once that happens, the recently converted West Campus courts will return to their previous tennis use.
