Lancers now have a new activity to participate in during AcLab.

The Lafayette Pickleball Club, unofficially known as the Pickleball Society, has sprung an outlet for students to find their passion in a newly popular sport. The club is sponsored by Sarah Masterson, world language teacher.

“[As the club sponsor], I’m there to be an adult present and to set up things logistically in terms of where we meet and when we meet. When it comes down to the club meetings, our president and vice president handle everything. The students run [the club],” Masterson said.

The president of the club, junior Matt Reynolds, wants the club to be available to all students.

“Our goals are to become a fun and welcoming club. We hope we will continue to grow through social media and word of mouth, and we will strive to continue to be a welcoming place where people of all levels of athleticism can play and learn the sport,” Reynolds said.

Reynold’s creation of the club started with his discovery of the sport with his friends.

“My vice president, [junior] Clayton Ohlms, and I decided to create the Lafayette Pickleball Society while we were playing and discovering what a fun sport pickleball is. We knew it would be a hit due to the large number of players which continues to grow,” Reynolds said.

The club members have been experimenting and coming up with places on campus to play the sport, and may eventually expand the meetings outside of AcLab if participation increases.

“We currently practice on the tennis courts, but I’m exploring other options to accommodate things like bad weather or wet courts,” he said.

Interested students do not need experience, but a slight understanding of the rules and gameplay would be helpful.

“As we continue to move forward, I aim to have the club meet at least once every other week,” Reynolds said. “In the future, we will definitely increase the number of available seats [for students to sign up].”