It’s been described as the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., a noise nuisance, the pandemic pastime. Call it what you will, enthusiasts at the University of Maryland will be “thwacking” with some brand-new paddles courtesy of the first D.C. professional pickleball team.
D.C. Pickleball Team has partnered with the university’s pickleball club and will donate pickleball equipment including JOOLA pickleball paddles.
It’s part of the D.C. team’s goal of uniting “communities through the accessible sport of pickleball.”
“We were inspired by the club’s enthusiasm for the sport from the first time we connected,” said Adam Behnke, the chief operating officer of D.C. Pickleball Team, in a news release.
Pickleball had been gaining a lot of popularity even before the COVID-19 pandemic, when participation skyrocketed because it provided a way to exercise outdoors while maintaining distance from others, CNN reported.
Park agencies in the D.C. area, including Fairfax County and Alexandria in Virginia, have been converting tennis courts to dedicated pickleball or dual-use courts. And D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser last month picked up a paddle and outlined plans for new courts in the District.
But not everyone is a fan of the sport, with some complaining about the noise made during play. In Vienna, Virginia, the town council voted to limit pickleball in Glyndon Park, amid complaints from neighbors that pickleball “has ruined the livability of their neighborhood and significantly decreased the value of their homes.”
Meanwhile, in Arlington, Virginia, residents in one community clashed over the idea of more pickleball courts, with opponents saying it’s already too noisy for the neighborhood.
For students at Maryland, the pickleball club is a way to meet other enthusiasts of the sport and stay active on campus. And thanks to the new equipment, there’s all the more reason to keep on whacking.
“We can’t thank D.C. Pickleball Team enough for supporting our club and helping us improve our pickleball games with professional level equipment,” says Sydney Skalka, President of UMD pickleball club.
