Free Wheelchair Pickleball Drop-In at GVSU Allendale Campus Courts

Grand Valley State University offered a free, drop-in Wheelchair Pickleball session that filled Courts 4 and 5 on the Allendale Campus on Feb. 19, running 5:30-6:30 p.m. The event provided wheelchairs and all equipment so students and community members could try adaptive play without bringing gear.

The Recreation and Wellness calendar invited players to "Come out for a fun, casual evening of Wheelchair Pickleball, open to all in the GVSU community and completely free!" and noted "All equipment & wheelchairs will be provided. EveryBODY is welcome!" The listing, added to the calendar by Tessa White (whitetes@mail.gvsu.edu) on Feb. 17 and updated Feb. 18 at 10:18 a.m., also asked participants to "Join one of the teams below" on IMLeagues for attendance tracking but emphasized that "the event will still operate as drop in."

Organizers framed the session as both recreational and educational. The calendar copy encouraged attendees to "Bring a friend, enjoy some music, and take the opportunity to ask questions about how to get involved with Adaptive Intramural Sports." The page included location specifics for Courts 4 and 5 and a prompt to download the Allendale Campus parking map for anyone driving to the facility.

Wheelchair Pickleball is part of GVSU’s Adaptive Intramural Sports menu, which began in spring 2023 and recorded 35 participants in fall 2023. The Lanthorn quoted Mitch Eastlick, assistant director of Recreation and Wellness, saying, "Inclusion is one of our core values we are trying to create. (We want to create) experiences that are accessible and adaptive and welcoming for everything. We thought this was one way we could do that," as program leaders work to expand visibility and participation.

Adaptive Intramurals at GVSU includes wheelchair basketball, football, tennis, goalball and wheelchair pickleball, and a Challengedathletes.org listing classifies the university entry as "Adaptive Intramurals. Type: Recreational/intramural (e.g., wheelchair basketball, goalball; evolving menu). Notes: Regular seasons and posted champions indicate ongoing activity." Adaptive Sports Supervisors Olivia Driscoll and Samantha LaMantia were cited by the Lanthorn as staff who aim to bring more students into the program.

Collegiate examples cited alongside GVSU on Challengedathletes.org show a range of approaches elsewhere: University of Texas at Austin runs inclusive recreation sessions for adaptive tennis and pickleball with equipment provided, Clemson lists a dedicated wheelchair tennis program, and Auburn operates wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis alongside accessible strength and cardio options. Those examples highlight that GVSU’s drop-in model sits within a broader campus recreation trend toward providing adaptive equipment, programming, and regular seasons.

For questions about the Feb. 19 session or future Adaptive Intramural Sports offerings, the calendar lists Tessa White (whitetes@mail.gvsu.edu) and tags RecWell as the sponsoring unit. The event’s free, equipment-provided format underlined Recreation and Wellness’ push to lower barriers and widen participation in adaptive play on campus.