Across all hours of the day on the University of Mississippi campus, the cracking of pickleball paddles can be heard as students enjoy the pastime.
Since pickleball’s creation in 1965, the sport has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity, especially in this decade. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association dubbed pickleball as “the fastest growing sport in America,” as evidenced by a 158.6% rise in participation between 2021 and 2023.
“It’s a great game and brings people closer together,” sophomore international studies and Chinese major Eli Striplin said. “There’s a great community (of players) that’s always willing to reach out and play with others.”
The rise is also apparent at UM, where in 2023, three tennis courts behind the Turner Center were converted into eight pickleball courts. That same year, the Ole Miss Pickleball Club was founded.
The club regularly competes in competitions, in addition to hosting on-campus tournaments and practice sessions.
UM jumped on the craze by offering an “Introduction to Pickleball” class that has been available since spring 2024 through the Department of Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management.
The one-credit class aims to teach students the rules and basics of pickleball and provides an opportunity for students to sharpen their skills. Caroline Muma, a graduate assistant in the department from Bainbridge Island, Wash., is one of the two instructors for Introduction to Pickleball.
“I think it’s a great way for people to just get outside and also meet some new friends,” Muma said. “At the beginning of the semester, we’ll kind of go over more of the rules, how to serve, how to play, and honestly, this is where I let a lot of the students who have played a ton — if they have any tips and tricks, share that with anyone else in the class.”
Muma, a graduate student in exercise science, noted that students of all experience levels are welcome.
“Sometimes I get some students that are so into it and so good, and then I’ll have some people who have never even played before and just want to learn something new. So that’s kind of where we just get everyone caught up and just learn the basics,” Muma said.
Following the introduction period, students in the class begin to play each other, culminating in a doubles elimination tournament.
“Toward the middle of the semester, we’ll start playing games, and everyone kind of plays everyone,” Muma said. “I like to use the last bit of the semester as a tournament and have people kind of partner up. It’s like a doubles elimination tournament, and just kind of let them play until we have a winner. (The fall semester) is the first time I’ve taught it, and that semester, everyone in my two classes loved it, so it was pretty fun.”
Pickleball originated in Muma’s hometown, she says, meaning Muma was exposed to it from an early age.
“I feel like in the last few years, pickleball kind of just peaked, and everyone’s playing. We were playing pickleball since the beginning,” Muma said. “Even in high school, we had for our (physical education class) credit, one semester was learning the history of pickleball and the rules, and honestly, just playing pickleball for a full semester. Where I’m from, there’s a family that I used to babysit for, and right next door was the family … that kind of helped invent pickleball.”
The class aims to increase awareness and understanding of this ever-growing trend, as well as help students get outside and get active.
“It’s a great class, I think, for students to have. It’s like a stress relief,” Muma said. “(It gives) them an hour or two each week just to be outside and be active, too. Especially coming from my department, there’s definitely a push to increase physical activity. So (by) encouraging students, giving them some structure to be outside and move for at least an hour of their day is definitely a big push to kind of increase that awareness for the importance of physical activity.”
