Local groups, donors team up to revitalize outdoor space
As temperatures climb back into the 70s, word has spread about the six new pickleball courts on EMU’s campus. Athletic Director Carrie S Bert said she receives frequent texts and emails from appreciative pickleball players impressed with the courts, as well as photos of the courts when they’re full.
The new pickleball courts, located along Park Road north of the basketball courts, are joined by four freshly resurfaced tennis courts. Work on the outdoor space started in mid-October and finished in December, with nets installed over the winter break. Edwards Paving, a certified installer from Port Republic, completed the project. In addition to the resurfacing, the lights shining down on the courts after dusk have been replaced with brighter bulbs. A stack of court dividers is stored in a newly built shed next to the space.
This weekend, the new pickleball courts will host their inaugural tournament, The Royal Rumble, to raise funds for the EMU Pickleball Club, a group of faculty, staff, and mostly students that plays on the courts twice a week. Men’s and women’s doubles matches will be held on Saturday, April 5, with mixed doubles matches on Sunday, April 6.
The courts have been an instant hit. Mike Weaver ’90, a member of the local pickleball enthusiasts group, said he’s enjoyed playing on the new courts. “It’s fantastic,” he said. “The surface is great, the nets are great, and the lights are a game changer. There’s no other place close by with lights, except for a couple indoor courts.”
Lexi Brown, associate director of athletic admissions, said she’s been regularly playing at the EMU courts with her circle of friends. “It gets crazy busy now, which is awesome to see,” she said.
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, EMU seniors Mary Kate Bomberger and Caleb Chupp took advantage of the warm weather to play on the courts. “I love them,” Bomberger said. “I come here to play all the time.”
Bert said the goal of the resurfacing project is to reinforce EMU’s commitment to student resources and community engagement. “I often see our students using the courts,” she said. The enhancements also make EMU more attractive to prospective students, helping to boost enrollment and recruitment efforts.
Code of the court
For the past four or five years, pickleball has been called the fastest-growing sport in the nation. It’s especially popular among older players due to its lower impact, making it easier on the joints, and its ease of learning and play.
A sign on the fence around the courts outlines the rules and policies for using the space. The courts are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day. On Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays, between 7:30 and 10:30 a.m., the courts are designated for priority use by those 55 years and older. The student-run EMU Pickleball Club reserves the courts on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Community members are welcome to play with them if the courts aren’t too full.
The order of priority for court use is:
- EMU classes, practices, tournaments, student and other programming (clubs and intramurals)
- Rentals
- Community open play
| Paddles Up! When all six pickleball courts are in use, waiting players can announce, “Paddles up.” This means that waiting players can place their paddles in the paddle rack. When a court completes a set of play, they must allow those waiting to use the court for one set. All courts will participate in this program to allow equal play on the pickleball courts. |
‘The universe aligned’
As a student at Eastern Mennonite School in the ‘90s, Obed “Obie” Diener remembers how new the EMU tennis courts looked and felt back then. He left the area after high school to study at Goshen College. When he returned three years ago, he saw that the courts “hadn’t been maintained very much.” “There were huge cracks that were big enough to sprain an ankle,” he said.
Diener, the son of alumni Eugene ’68 and Gloria ’76, met with Bert about a year ago to see whether anything could be done to restore the courts to their former glory. At the same time, Paul Leaman ’86, head of Eastern Mennonite School, had been in talks with the athletic director about resurfacing the courts.
For the past decade or so, EMS’ tennis teams practiced and competed on the EMU courts. But, with the condition of the asphalt deteriorating to the point where they were no longer safe for competitive high school play, Leaman said, the school had to look elsewhere. For the past couple years, EMS rented tennis courts from Harrisonburg Parks and Recreation. Those rental costs became unsustainable, and Leaman sought a way to partner with EMU to get its courts resurfaced.
Funding for the project came from EMS, Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, grants from the U.S. Tennis Association, an EMU fund designated for tennis, and other organizations and private donors. Leaman led a fundraising campaign for the project, calling on families who had played tennis at EMS over the years, and raised the amount they needed within a month. “People saw the need and they jumped in quickly to make that happen,” he said. “I want to thank all the people who gave what they could to make this possible.”
Seed donors, led by generous supporters and avid pickleball players Dale Metzler and Barbra Graber Metzler ’76, sparked the idea for pickleball courts at EMU and contributed money to make it a reality. The retired couple discovered the sport within the past five years and wanted to introduce it to younger generations, said Graber Metzler, a member of the EMU theater faculty from 1981-2005. “Pickleball has become the spice of our lives, and when you get excited about something, you want to share it with others,” she said. “What I love about it is that it’s not about any of the things that divide us. It’s simply about getting on a court with other people and having a good time.”
“The universe aligned in terms of interested groups within the community and the willingness of EMU administration to partner with them,” Bert said. “This was a highly collaborative project, both in its design and use policies, as well as in how the financial needs were met.”
What’s next
The pickleball and tennis courts offer future teaching opportunities such as youth clinics and instruction for beginner players. Bert said that additional funding will be used to purchase benches for the tennis and pickleball courts. Windscreens—featuring the EMU, EMS and VMRC logos—will be added to the fencing around the space.
A future phase of the court enhancement project will resurface and transform the basketball court area into two basketball courts and a futsal court. Leaman said he would love to see the city step forward in partnering for this next step of the project. “The city was supportive of this project, philosophically, and it just didn’t work in their budget cycle,” he said. “They’re friends of the university, and I think they’re interested in seeing the current basketball courts get developed.”
A pickleball tournament at the EMU courts on Saturday, May 24, will raise funds for future improvements to the courts. For more information about the tournament, contact Eric Benson at 540-560-4883. For information about the local pickleball community, contact Mike Weaver at pbhburg@gmail.com.
Those interested in supporting the outdoor court enhancement project can email Bert at: carrie.bert@emu.edu
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