By Caroline Koutsos
In 2017, a couple of University of Maryland students met occasionally at the Eppley Tennis Courts to play pickleball. Now, a UMD club with 300 members competes in national tournaments across the country.
Pickleball has become the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. According to a 2022 Sports and Fitness Industry Foundation Single Sport Report on Pickleball, pickleball saw a 14% increase in 2021 when it grew to 4.8 million players in the U.S.
Senior marketing major and club president, Sydney Skalka, fell in love with the sport in 2020 and revamped the club in 2022.
“I got into pickleball around COVID time,” said Skalka. “My mom was playing, and so she said, ‘Hey, everyone needs to learn this,’ and I thought it was awesome.”
Skalka researched whether a pickleball club existed at UMD. She found a group created by Maryland alumnus Ben Johns, one of the highest ranked pickleball players internationally, in 2017.
Skalka knew the club was something special.
“I reached out to him and he gave me the old GroupMe,” Skalka said. “And his little sister actually still goes to school here, and she’s my partner. So, that’s really cool, keeping that connection.”
Johns attended one of their practices in the spring of 2023, where he played with club members.
As the sport continues to grow, the club prides itself in its range of skill. In June, Skalka and her teammates won first place in the Ohio regional tournament, which allowed them to compete on a national stage.
The club has also continued to grow in partnership with others in the area. The D.C. Pickleball Team donated 50 paddles to the club this year, according to Skalka.
The club’s next steps include petitioning to become an official club sport and to keep building the program.
Even with the addition of a competitive team, the club’s number one priority is a culture of inclusivity for all skill levels.
“Everyone just wants to help you. If you don’t know how to play, if you don’t have a paddle, someone’s lending you one,” Skalka said. “People are letting you jump into their games. I think it’s such an amazing culture, and it’s just so cool to see people’s lives being changed.”
“I think everyone is very inclusive and friendly to everyone. It’s a very welcoming environment,” said freshman mechanical engineering major Evan Pfeiffenberger, who recently joined the team.
According to senior criminology major and the club’s vice president James Riley, the club promotes an atmosphere of learning in which beginners and experienced players alike can share the court.
Since he sustained an injury while on duty in the military, sports have been a huge part of Riley’s recovery. After undergoing occupational therapy at Walter Reed Medical Center in 2020, Riley said he picked up boxing, paddleboarding and kayaking. He was introduced to pickleball much later.
Riley explained that as he was coming back from the Navy Wounded Warrior Camp in California, he began playing pickleball with his aunt, who was playing as part of her Parkinson’s rehabilitation. “I immediately got hooked, that’s where I fell in love with the sport.”
For Riley, it’s therapeutic.
“If I have my head wrapped around something, I just step away, go pick up a paddle.”
In October, the club ventured to Charlottesville, Virginia to participate in the first ever Virginia Invitational Pickleball Tournament where they faced JMU, UNC, Virginia Tech and UVA.
By showcasing their talent in tournaments such as these, the club continues to build the brand around Maryland pickleball and establish themselves as an official club sport.
Featured Image: The UMD Pickleball Club at practice in spring 2023 with Ben Johns, courtesy of the UMD Pickleball Club Instagram.