The huge success and popularity of pickleball have been matched by the rapid advancement of the pickleball club at Webster University, a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri.
Established just last semester, the club is already making waves by sending a team to compete in the inaugural NCPA Pickleball Nationals in San Diego next month.
A Simple Outreach
Representing Webster across four Division I categories—men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles—the team is poised to make waves at the finals. Additionally, there’s a Division II tournament catering to lower-level teams.
Aiden Clayburn, the club’s president, revealed that it all began with a simple outreach:
“Funnily enough, it’s through Instagram DMs (direct messaging),” Clayburn said. “We got a DM one day from them [NCPA], checked out their website, saw that everything was legitimate, and decided to have a meeting with them.”
Relatively Straightforward
Qualifying for the nationals proved relatively straightforward, with the NCPA’s relatively lenient requirements. Although the organization suggests a 4.5 DUPR level for Division I players, it’s more of a guideline than a strict rule. Webster’s highest-ranked player boasts a 4.1 DUPR rating.
However, the major hurdle was the substantial travel expense associated with a 3,000-mile round trip. Initially daunting, the financial burden has been lightened thanks to Clayburn’s efforts:
“I have been able to knock the flight fees down to $1,100. What initially attracted us to go to this tournament was they [NCPA] offered to pay upwards of $2,000 for flights.
“I applied for the Webster Student Grant Fund, which gives up to $350 per student, and since we have five students going, they are going to be giving us $1,750.
“We have other fundraising stuff we are doing as well. We just finished a Panda Express fundraiser, and we are currently waiting to get our estimate on how much we made from that.”
The club has another fundraiser coming up on March 3rd at Chipotle.
Tight Timeline
Despite the tight timeline, Clayburn remains optimistic about their readiness for the competition. The team has been dedicated, practicing rigorously during club meetings and utilizing local courts for additional training.
For Clayburn, who played a pivotal role in establishing the club and securing their participation in the nationals, a knee injury sustained over winter break placed him on the sidelines.
“It was quite literally my second day home. I was teaching someone how to play singles. I went to go hit a backhand, overstepped, and hyperextended my right leg. That tore my ACL and ruptured my root lateral meniscus.”
Embraced A Coaching And Management Role
Undaunted, he’s simply moved on and embraced a coaching and management role, bringing a fresh perspective to the team’s strategy.
“This has given me a whole new lens at how to look at pickleball. I’ve been able to look in and get into the roots of pickleball. What makes good versus bad, what makes plays move, what makes them stop, and how can we use that to help our team grow in strength?
“I’ve got a clipboard now, and you can see me just on the side of the court, writing down plays,” Clayburn says. “I’ve created one called the hypotenuse that has an 80% success rate, so that is currently my role.”
“Thrilled”
Preston Stewart, the Social Media Director of the club and a participating member in the Webster Nationals Pickleball Team is “thrilled” about the upcoming tournament:
“I look forward to being surrounded by people who also want to see this sport grow, especially at the collegiate level,” Steward said. “It is going to be a great time.”
