Newly-formed pickleball club gains popularity in first year
The team practices on Sundays from 12-2 p.m. at Old Mountain Field. PHOTO CREDIT: Maddie Bataille
University of Rhode Island has its newest club sport – pickleball. The club was officially founded in October of last year by first-year students Ryan Estus, Ashley Thurston and Bailey Bolton, with the help of First Lady Mrs. Parlange.
The club has been off to a rapid start. It has already garnered a lot of attention around campus, and the group of players involved has quickly increased since the start of practices this semester, starting out with 12 players and already accumulating to 24 members and counting.
Estus has always had a love for racquet sports. It started in his youth as a tennis player. He played up until he graduated from high school, but he still had a desire for the branch of sport, he said.
Last summer, Estus’s mother introduced him to pickleball through a drop-in league that she and her friends participated in.
“I decided to tag along one day,” Estus said. “I went out and played with them and messed around with it, and after a couple of times, I was hooked”.
Coming into college this past fall, Estus wanted to continue playing the sport he found a fast passion for. He and Bolton found an opportunity during freshman orientation week at the President’s house on campus.
While there, Estus and Bolton met Parlange who had also recently gotten into pickleball. After talking with the freshmen, she wanted to help their dream become a reality.
“During the earlier phase, Mrs. Parlange was very helpful in getting contacts for us to set up necessary meetings and talk about how we could get [the club] going,” Estus said.
Even with the help of Parlange, the process of creating the club was a tedious one, according to Estus. He had to get through multiple stages of student senate voting, and create rules and by-laws that the club would follow.
After a month and a half, Estus finally completed the process and the club became official. The club initially started in October of 2022 with 10 members, per another requirement of the student senate, and practices started shortly thereafter.
Being new to the sport himself, Estus is taking a careful approach to leading the club.
“Even though I’m helping out the younger players and the new experienced players, and building up their form and technique, I’m also still learning,” Estus said.
Although there were good turnouts at the practices and players were doing well, they had no other teams to compete against. That was until a familiar foe created a pickleball team of their own.
“For some time, we were the only team in not only New England, but the northeast, as well,” Estus said. “It’s just a cool bit of history that is unique to us. That was up until about a month ago when one of my e-board members informed me that none other than Providence College created a pickleball club”.
The rivalry is going to be revamped in a whole new way now while making history at the same time.
“If my research is correct, that will be the very first college pickleball match in New England, so that’s really cool,” Estus said.
Since Providence founded their team, no other New England school has done so yet. For the future of Rhode Island’s matches, they will be seeing Providence College a lot, according to Estus.
As far as the future goes for URI’s team itself, Estus has some ambitious hopes.
“I think the sky is the limit,” Estus said. “The way that this club has grown in the short amount of time it has, is beyond my wildest dreams”.
Parlange also has big plans for the team for the future. She is hoping to help the team’s presence on campus grow, and expand their opportunity to play on campus.
“I’m gonna provide whatever support I can for them,” Parlange said. “If they need some help finding courts, fundraising, running a tournament, or trying to connect with facilities… I would really like to see the club get some courts on campus. I know the indoor courts don’t have a lot of space, but if we could get some outdoor courts that would be really great”.
The pickleball club is quickly rising to prominence at University of Rhode Island. People are able to participate on the team at the team practices at Old Mountain Field every Sunday afternoon from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m..
Their historic first match against Providence College will take place on March 19th at 1 p.m. on their home court at Old Mountain Field.