UNCSA reaches "dill" to add Pickleball as an intercollegiate sport in 2023
Rise and brine, Fighting Pickles! UNCSA has announced its plan to establish a collegiate Pickleball team, and as the first athletic team in the university's history, the decision is a big “dill.”
The primary motivation for adding athletics to the university's offerings is to increase health and wellness student life offerings. And when presented with the idea of establishing a Pickleball team on campus, it was a no-brainer for leadership.
"We were looking for creative options to expand campus activities and showcase our talented students," Chancellor Brian Cole said. "Adding a Pickleball team seemed like a natural fit for the Fighting Pickles!”
UNCSA Pickleball team shirt
Pickleball is one of the country's fastest-growing sports and is governed by USA Pickleball or USAP. Initially popular amongst the senior-aged population, the sport promotes a healthy balance of social interaction and competitive spirit. And after its recent surge in popularity, the sport has become a massive favorite of college students.
Benefits of Pickleball
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Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong and can be enjoyed by all ages and skill levels — making it the perfect athletic addition for UNCSA. The UNCSA athletic trainers and physical therapists relish in the health benefits of the sport, emphasizing its low-impact nature.
"Specifically for dancers, our priority was finding a sport that would benefit our existing athletes, not cause harm," the health services team said. "Pickleball is dill-icate on the joints and allows individuals to be active without putting too much strain on their bodies."
The benefits of Pickleball also expand to the brain. The sport creates cognitive challenges by working the short-term memory area of the brain by requiring individuals to keep track of rules, scores, their position on the court, etc. It also requires hand-eye coordination, which the UNCSA Health Services team shares "is vital in other areas of our lives — including reaction times, balance and coordination, fine motor skills, reading, writing and tracking moving objects."
We were looking for creative options to expand campus activities and showcase our talented students ... Adding a Pickleball team seemed like a natural fit for the Fighting Pickles!
Chancellor Brian Cole
The UNCSA Pickleball team will launch in the Fall of 2023. There are currently 46 universities across the country competing in the sport.
The team's establishment will be celebrated in the fall with a Pickle Pep Rally where student artists can sign up to showcase their pickle- and Pickleball-inspired art! At the pep rally, students from the School of Music will also play various Vlasic rock songs, including Bob Dill-an. On a campus with rarely a "dill" moment, you'd expect nothing less than the community relishing in every moment of this new student offering, right?
April 1, 2023 (April Fools’ Day)