The UW-Whitewater Pickleball Club traded Wisconsin’s late-fall chill for some Arizona sun this past weekend, heading to Phoenix for one of their biggest tournaments of the year. Even without the final results in hand, the trip marked another major step for a club that has quickly become one of the largest and most energetic groups on campus.
For President Sophie Busse, the tournament was more than just competition; it was another example of how far the club has come during her two and a half years in leadership.
“Membership has grown so much,” Busse said. “When I first joined, maybe 20 people showed up to open play. Now we get about 50 or 60 at our biggest practices. That growth is a huge accomplishment for us.”
The rise in membership is not the only transformation. This year is the first one the team has implemented a structured 12-player travel roster, something Busse said has already made organizing tournaments and travel significantly easier.
“Before this roster, I only had commitment from maybe three or four people, so planning flights and hotels was really hard,” she said. “Now we have a solid group of players who want to travel and compete.”
That group includes vice president Mitchell Mancusi, who has watched the club develop from a small student organization into the biggest on campus.
“Every time I show up for practice, there’s a new face, and people are excited to play or try pickleball for the first time,” Mancusi said.
On the competitive side, he added that Whitewater has taken wins over major Division I programs.
“Our main team has beaten schools like UW–Madison, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois, and more,” he said.
The Arizona tournament was also the second major trip of the semester after the team’s experience in Dallas. For Danny Greenberg, who transferred to Whitewater after playing junior college baseball, the opportunity to stay competitive was part of what drew him to the club in the first place.
“Being a part of the pickleball club has been incredible,” he said. “Not only did it keep me active and competitive, but I’ve met the greatest people. I’m super excited to go to Arizona… we’re taking our first and second team, so we’re going to have some good bonding and get to play pickleball in the sun.”
The trip itself offered more than just the tournament atmosphere. The team stayed together in an Airbnb with a pool, hot tub and fire pit, another chance to build chemistry that Busse believes is crucial.
“This team is pretty new to playing with each other, so building chemistry is super important,” she said.
Even with tough competition and dozens of high-level programs in attendance, Busse felt confident heading into the weekend.
“I’m really excited for this tournament. Our team has good strengths, and I’m confident they’ll do well,” she said.
The weekend in Arizona gave the group a chance to compete, build chemistry and represent Whitewater on a bigger stage. They will look to continue to do so in the future and grow a positive culture around the sport and club.
The results of the regional will be updated soon.
