Pickleball has undeniably become a popular activity on the University of Mississippi campus.

In 2023, three tennis courts behind the Turner Center were converted into eight pickleball courts, and the Ole Miss Pickleball Club was established that same year.

An article published earlier this month by The Daily Mississippian writer Aidan Poniatowski examined the surging interest in pickleball among students at the institution.

“It’s a great game and brings people closer together,” said Eli Striplin, a sophomore international studies and Chinese major. “There’s a great community of players that’s always willing to reach out and play with others.”

Ole Miss even offers an “Introduction to Pickleball” class that was first introduced in spring 2024 through the Department of Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management. The one-credit course teaches students the rules and fundamentals of pickleball, while giving them the opportunity to refine their skills.

“I think it’s a great way for people to just get outside and also meet some new friends,” said Caroline Muma, a graduate assistant and class instructor. “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.”

Students are welcome regardless of experience level with pickleball.

“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,” mentioned Muma. “So that’s kind of where we just get everyone caught up and just learn the basics.”

Once the introduction ends, students play one another, finishing with a doubles elimination tournament.

“Toward the middle of the semester, we’ll start playing games, and everyone kind of plays everyone,” noted Muma. “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.”

As a native of Bainbridge Island, Wash. where pickleball was founded, the initiative holds special significance for Muma.

“I feel like in the last few years, pickleball kind of just peaked, and everyone’s playing. We were playing pickleball since the beginning,” she 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 course ultimately promotes further awareness of America's fastest-growing sport and encourages students to stay physically active.

“It’s a great class, I think, for students to have. It’s like a stress relief,” emphasized Muma. “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.”