Juniors Jadon Camero and Alex Thomas won Campus Rec’s first-ever pickleball tournament Nov. 15 at the George C. Roche Sports Complex. Their prize was a jar of pickles.

“Pickleball is growing. It must be popular with how many people showed up with their own paddles and clearly have been playing a lot,” said Campus Rec events team lead and sophomore Ethan Bock.

The single-elimination tournament bracket included 17 teams of two players.

“Neither one of us had played in a little while, so we were slightly worried,” Camero said. “But we decided we’re just gonna have fun. If we win, we win, and even if we don’t, it’s still pickleball.”

Camero and Thomas said they gained experience with pickleball by spending their college vacations playing with friends.

“The best people to play with are anywhere from 50 to 65,” Camero said. “Playing against them and having them absolutely beat up on you when you start makes you want to get better much quicker.”

Camero said he thinks the fast pace of the game makes it appealing to college students.

“It was a surprise how many people showed up, but I think that is because the game is so quick.” Camero said. “You’re going to get through three or four games pretty quick.” 

Students were not the only participants in the tournament. Nathan Schlueter, professor of philosophy and religion, advanced to the second round with his teammate, freshman Joseph Brecount.

“I’ve always resisted playing pickleball because it looked like just old people played it,” Schlueter said. “But I have a brother-in-law who put a court in his driveway a couple of years ago. He wanted to get everyone playing, and I was amazed at how much I enjoyed it. It was super fun, and we got very competitive.”

Schlueter played pickleball with a group of students a few times before the tournament and said he admired the skill level of the other competitors.

“We were overmatched a lot more than we thought we were going to be,” Schlueter said. “When we play with this group of students, we usually do pretty well. But that group of students at the tournament was clearly a step above where we were.”

As a brand-new event, the pickleball tournament is part of Campus Rec’s renewed efforts to be involved on campus, according to Bock.

Bock said Campus Rec will likely hold this event again.

“There were some people that I know have never played pickleball before,” Bock said. “And then there were other people that showed up with their own paddles who have a lot of experience. It was a nice mix.”