The onset of spring has brought an exciting development at the University of Central Florida: the inauguration of the inaugural pickleball courts on the main campus.
“Exploded In Every Campus”
“It just seems to have exploded in every campus, every community,” remarked Sarah Hunt, associate director of facilities at the Recreation and Wellness Center (RWC), talking about the sport’s growing popularity. “So, I think the four courts are a great start.”
Tyler Reik, treasurer for competitive pickleball at UCF and a sophomore business management major, noted that the team finally has an official practice venue. Previously, it had to make do with public parks around town.
“We were jumping between Cady Way and Riverside Skate Park,” Reik recalled. “I’m looking forward to more courts being built eventually, but as well just continuous growth with the club.”
Leah Freeman, marketing and communications manager of the RWC, highlighted the overwhelmingly positive response from students.
“They’ve loved it,” she told Nicholson Student Media. “As soon as it opened, people were out there playing, like it was packed. So, it’s been very good, and people have been rushing to put in reservations to have practices and do things like that.”
Read another of our articles about university pickleball here.
Vying For Court Space
With the surge in the university’s pickleballing population, Hunt noted how suddenly tennis and pickleball players were vying for court space. The addition of dedicated pickleball courts was a solution to this issue.
“We’ve seen lots of students playing pickleball on the tennis courts,” Hunt observed. “You have half of the tennis courts being used by students who are playing pickleball, but they’re not lined, and net heights are different.”
Aryn Gupta, a UCF club tennis player, hailed the opening of the courts as a positive step for enthusiasts of both sports:
“Sometimes tennis players would go out play, and then it’s like all filled up with pickleball players,” Gupta remarked. “But now it’s like, there’s much more harmony. I mean, everyone gets to play on the tennis courts, and everyone gets to play on the pickleball courts.”
Pickleball’s Accessibility
Nathan Fleming, a junior aerospace engineering major, agreed, highlighting the accessibility of pickleball for casual players.
“Now that they opened up the courts, I come quite a bit with my friends,” Fleming shared. “It’s a fun little sport to kind of get out and do and be active.”
He also noted how the courts have made pickleball more accessible to students seeking recreational activities.
“Before now, I don’t even know where we could play pickleball except for these tennis courts over here,” Fleming said. “I live right here at Nike, so I can just roll over here, and we’ll play all the time.”
Backing Diverse Recreational Opportunities
Hunt explained that the RWC repurposed an oversized tennis court into four pickleball courts to accommodate these changes, demonstrating the university’s commitment to backing diverse recreational opportunities.
“It’s a sport that anyone can play, in my opinion. Any ability, I think, can pick it up,” Hunt emphasized. “It’s just socially inclusive, and I think it builds community, and that’s what people love about it.”
Freeman announced that the grand opening of the pickleball courts would be on March 14 and was optimistic about pickleball’s future at the university: “We’re just very excited for it,” Freeman said. “Hopefully, it just continues to stay popular in our UCF community.”
