CSU club pickleball is nationally ranked 

Pickleball is a rapidly growing sport around the country, with more and more people picking up the sport, and Charleston Southern students are no exception. The Pickleball club at CSU started in February of 2024 and has grown exponentially in the last eight months. The club currently has over 160 students in their GroupMe who are involved in their open play nights or are members of the club team. 

Luke Shamblin, club president and founding member, believes the reason for the rapid growth and interest in pickleball at CSU is because “pickleball gives a great opportunity for community and competitiveness in a stress-free environment.”

At the majority of other schools, students have to pay fees to be a part of the pickleball team, to help fund events, tournament fees, travel, and other expenses, but from the creation of the club Shamblin did not want to charge students. He wanted the team to be a way for students to build community on campus and enjoy the exciting, competitive game of pickleball. 

To help raise money to offset these costs, students in the club have organized  two community pickleball tournaments in partnership with Goose Creek Recreation. On top of those tournaments, the team has started to sell t-shirts to raise additional funds. If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt, you can get one by messaging csupickleball@gmail.com.

On top of creating community with students on campus, the club team has also been able to develop meaningful relationships with local residents and businesses. They have partnerships with Picklebar in Nexton to host weekly practices and with Goose Creek Recreation to host community tournaments. Additionally, they have started a partial sponsorship with the brand Volair Pickleball which provides the club with 50% off all paddles and bags along with free shirts and sweat bands. 

The club is starting to participate in tournaments against other colleges both in South Carolina and the surrounding states. Recently, the club participated in a tournament in Summerville against University of South Carolina, Costal Carolina, and The Citadel where they had three teams finish third in their division and a women’s team that placed second. 

Currently, the team is ranked 45^th in the nation for club teams. This is based on Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating System (DUPR) for club teams around the country. The team hopes to continue to improve and set new records for the team. 

If you are interested in learning more about club pickleball, there are a few ways to get involved like following their social media accounts, going to open play nights, or trying out for the team. If you are interested in trying out for the traveling team, please fill out the form here. If you would like to get updates about events, open play nights, and other ways to get involved, join their GroupMe with this link. 

If you would like to help the team raise support to travel to tournaments, pay tournament fees, or other expenses, please make a donation here. 

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