Two TCU students high-fiving while playing pickleball during club hours at the TCU Tennis Courts. (Photo courtesy of: Kate Woolsen)
With over 1000 members on TCU Engage, the Pickleball Club welcomes students of all skill levels to come and play pickleball either for leisure or competitive play. The sport has recently become a popular activity among many college students and families. Restaurants that have pickleball courts integrated with the dining experience, such as Courtside Kitchen, located at 615 Rogers Road in Fort Worth, are coming into business and getting more people hooked on the ever-growing sport. The TCU Pickleball Club is run by junior speech pathology major Lily Vandixhorn.Junior speech pathology major and president of the TCU Pickleball Club, Lily Vandixhorn. (Sarah Smith)“The whole idea of this club is just to create an environment for people to just come hang out, play pickleball and compete with each other,” Lily Vandixhorn said. “I want people to join the club to come and have fun.”“It’s a community,” Ellison Norwood, sophomore data science major and member of the club, said. “The sense of community that’s not found in any other sport is what I’ve always loved about pickleball.”“There are tough games, and you play against talented people in the club, but it’s always lighthearted,” Norwood said. For members looking to play in a more competitive environment, there are some members who compete professionally. There are tournaments through TCU that members can participate in, as well as ones that are outside of the university.A few members of the club recently traveled to Houston, Texas to compete in the Texas Regional Tournament and won. In November, the competitive pickleball club members will travel to Atlanta, Georgia to compete in the national tournament.Jack Jacobson, sophomore finance and accounting double major, said that he loves the competition that is found in the club. “It’s fun to just get out here and compete like once or twice a week, just for fun,” he said. The club allows members to meet at the TCU Tennis Courts located behind Greek Village at their convenience every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and Friday at 3 p.m. to play pickleball.
