TR Campus Fitness Center recommends all forms of activity, even pickleball.
Juan Najera, a coordinator for the fitness center, explained that pickleball is a fun and creative way to get active.
“I can see how people are liking it, especially when it could get competitive,” he said.
Najera joined students who had the opportunity to stop by on their way to class for a short pickleball game, playing to 11 points on TR’s outdoor patio Sept. 17.
Preston Doyle, a TR student who joined brought his own pickleball paddle to play, often plays with his family and said that he believes the game has gained so much popularity because it can be played casually or competitively.
He explained a time that he and his family visited a park in Keller one morning to play a few rounds only to find all four tennis courts packed with pickleball players.
“We sat there for two hours, and they were still full. We were talking to people waiting, and it was all random people that showed up just wanting to play pickleball,” he said. “I mean, as annoyed as we were, it was kind of funny.”
Other students who joined the game stayed for multiple rounds on the patio all in the name of winning.
TR student Samuel Kolede played four rounds with different competitors, including TR student Richie Besnet.
Kolede said he does not like to lose. So, when he lost the first round with Besnet, they ended up rechallenging each other twice. In between games, he said that he is very competitive but enjoyed winning when he did.
“If you don’t like losing, yeah, I would recommend pickleball,” he said.
Besnet has previous experience playing with his friends and enjoys doing it casually.
“I was just passing by, and I saw y’all playing pickleball,” he said. “I thought, ‘might as well step in.’”
Sam Ngaihte, a student employee at the TR Fitness Center was also there to help promote the center with Najera. He previously played tennis competitively and says that he appreciates its fast pace as a way to get moving.
“I think everyone should have some sort of fitness that keeps up their health,” he said. “There’s a big epidemic in the U.S. right now concerning childhood obesity and obesity in general. I encourage people to take some part in some sort of fitness, whether it’s pickleball, running, swimming, whatever it is.”
Najera is also a strong advocate for fitness, and while he recommends people check out the TR Fitness Center as it’s a free resource for TCC students to easily access, he explained that practice will make anyone better if they are trying to get involved with pickleball.
“Even if it’s a friendly game between you and your friend or someone that you just met, it can easily be competitive with the amount of skill it takes to hit a ball,” he said.
