"Zero, zero, one!" tock. The hollow sound of paddles contacting pickleballs became a regular addition to Covenant afternoons. Last fall, the college constructed new pickleball courts—a gift from the Class of 2023—and gained a new pickleball club, with over 100 sign-ups at Cov-Con.
But, students eager to restore pickleball to their daily rhythms were rudely surprised when they returned to campus late last month. Over the summer, the year-old pickleball courts were demolished.
Don Bailey, the facilities project coordinator, cited poor drainage as the reason the courts had to be redone.
"We were exploring different possibilities of solving that and we landed on just resurfacing the whole thing just as a way to ensure that we ended up with the kind of product that we all want," he said.
There were problems with the now-demolished courts from the very beginning. Bailey explained, "it was a gravel base that was waiting to have asphalt put on it, and we got into a cycle of rain and then waiting for it to dry…" As it turned out, "the base wasn't dry enough."
According to Bailey, the weight of the paving machines "started creating unevenness in the whole thing, and that's what led to the water problems."
The new courts are concrete. Their construction was slated for early July, but, largely because of weather, were poured shortly before new student arrival. The concrete has to cure a minimum of 30 days before coating in order to ensure the coating properly bonds.
Bailey is hoping that the courts can re-open the first of October, weather permitting. Further improvements are planned in an effort "to make it a nice space." More lighting has already been installed since last year.
In the meantime, students are either using the tennis courts or the Commons, a local park.
John Hirte, the director of athletics and head tennis coach, said there is "no inherent problem" with students using the tennis courts for pickleball.
"It gets sticky when people put tape down for lines and stuff," he related, "but Covenant students have been good about [not doing] that." However, there has been a "tendency to tighten and adjust our nets," which he says are "pretty finicky."
Caleb Domkowski, a junior on the mens tennis team, stated that “as long as they understand the hours that we use them and it doesn't interfere with those hours, I really couldn't care less." Practice times are not publicly posted.
Brian Sanchez, one of the pickleball club’s leaders, remains optimistic about the new and improved courts, saying, "I'm just excited for them to be back and for us to be able to play pickleball here at Covenant again."