Interactions valued, enjoyed at first pickleball tourney

Intent of the first-ever ECU College of Health and Human Performance and sport management pickleball tournament, held on university reading day Dec. 3, 2024, at Wimbledon Recreation Center, was to provide students, staff, faculty and all HHP friends with a relaxing and fun atmosphere to enjoy the on-the-rise sport.

Mission accomplished.

“It was probably the first event I’ve been to at ECU where I felt connected with students at all levels — undergrad, grad and doctoral, as well as with faculty and other people connected to the HHP department,” said Darius Lawton, an HHP graduate student who played in the tournament paired with Department of Kinesiology administrative support associate Paulina Diaguero-Ramos. “The atmosphere was great and very competitive, but friendly, and you could tell everyone was just glad to be part of a great event, especially at the end of the semester going into finals week.”

From left, grad student Annie Dalton, HEP faculty members Brian Cavanaugh and Dr. Eric Soule, and undergraduate student Caroline McAloon smile and meet at the net after their match.

It was a Sport and Community Development Lab event and the concluding practicum for sport management grad students Luke Stewart, Nick Trevino, Emma Brook and Erin Wool. They were charged to create an HHP faculty, staff and student pickleball club, intended to improve faculty, staff and student interactions through sport.

Drs. Stacy Warner, Melanie Sartore-Baldwin and Andrea Buenaño were faculty leaders and mentors to the students involved.

Wool wrote in her reflection: “While working with Luke, Nick and Emma was easy, it showed me how important it is to have a positive relationship with your team members in order to achieve success. We had to delegate tasks, coordinate participants and manage responsibilities. We each had to learn when to take the lead and when it was time to step back. . . . Knowing when to draw on my strengths and knowing when it was an opportunity to learn was essential when it came to the work that had to be done. This experience reinforced the importance of teamwork and how collaboration is essential for successful event execution.”

The tournament was not only a valuable learning experience for sport management graduate students, but also a transformational experience and opportunity for community engagement and service.

“It provided a fun and engaging outlet at a time when many are stressed about final exams and the holiday season,” Warner said. “We know faculty-student interactions are key to student success, especially for underrepresented students, and there is a growing mental health crisis on university campuses across the U.S.  Pickleball is not a cure-all, but for a few hours, we were able to use the sport to help connect students to a supportive community of faculty, staff and friends of HHP.”

The tournament was preceded by clinic and open-play days during the semester, which helped the students successfully meet their project goals. In all, 76 participants attended the tournament or clinic.

A mini-grant received via HHP’s Culture of Care, Belonging, and Opportunity Outreach Program sparked the project and it evolved into ideal examples of experiential learning, which is an area of expertise for Buenaño.

“Exposing our students to these experiential learning opportunities, with the support from ECU and our college, fits right within the mission of our institution, and is an extra bonus for students,” Buenaño said. “As educators, it’s nice to have that support. At ECU, we have support to provide our students with opportunities they never dreamed of before or might be out of the norm.”

That was reflected on Lawton, for example, as somebody who was exposed to the sport unexpectedly from talking to his friend, Stewart, and enjoyed the new experience.

“I honestly wasn’t going to do it at first, because I had never even played pickleball,” he said. “But Luke told me it was a beginner bracket and good or not, I would enjoy myself. I signed up and I am glad I did.”

Senior sport studies major Emma Phibbs, left, high-fives HHP faculty member Dr. Andrea Buenaño after a match.