By Yerehny Limon, April 18, 2023
With pickleball a rising sport, students gathered at the BRIC courts to participate in a friendly tournament hosted by ASI Campus Recreation April 7.
Pickleball is a paddle sport that can be played with two or four players. Each player gets two serves and a point can only be made by the team that served the hollow plastic ball.
Sixteen contestants played across three courts where Jakob Ho, an accounting student, and Ryan Ma, a visual communication design student, became the tournament champions.
Ho explains that he got into playing pickleball prior to the tournament due to COVID-19 and his family and close family friends’ interest in the sport. Ma explains how he started playing pickleball because of Ho.
“We’re housemates, so usually we play some sports together, so we decided to just pick up pickleball and he just brought me out there,” Ma said.
Contestants played in teams of doubles, competing in a best of three series where a score of 15 determined the winner of each set in the double elimination tournament. According to usapickleball.org, the serving team has the opportunity to serve and score points until their team commits two violations resulting in a dead ball or the end of the rally and they would switch sides after each set.
Many contestants warmed up prior to the tournament starting. Some contestants like finalist Suchith Chethana, engineering management student, had just met the other players and became a team with them. Chethana explained that due to not having a partner and wanting to play he teamed with another whose partner wasn’t able to attend the tournament.
The tournament started with three vertical courts. Some contestants finished before other contestants due to the sport’s intricate rules. After the first round’s eliminations, the tournament went immediately into semifinals, reducing the courts to two for the remaining 4 four teams.
Finalists, Ho, Ma, and Chethana were undefeatable throughout the tournament, up until finals neither team had lost a round.
Prior to the tournament, many students practiced at their local parks. Due to how light the ball is and not having to move much, many students said that it is an easy sport to pick up once you understand the intricate rules.
Participants that played caught the attention of many students that were practicing on different courts, students who were exercising in the upper level of BRIC and the ASI staff in charge of the tournament.
Staff member and kinesiology student, Noah Campbell, explained what it was like to manage the tournament.
“It was kind of fun to see how pickleball is actually really played,” Campbell said. “I’ve never really watched it before but the games that they played have been cool.”
For students that couldn’t participate in the latest pickleball tournament or gained interest while watching the tournament,Campbell mentioned there may be pickleball events in the future.
For more information about ASI’s leagues or events and tournament schedule, visit their website.
Feature image courtesy of Yerehny Limon
