Taylor’s student-athletes aren’t the only ones hitting the courts and fields this spring.
Whether it’s a lively game of early morning pickleball played by a group of professors, an intense soccer match between rivaling bro-sis teams or a spirited dodgeball tournament hosted by Olson Hall, campus’ athletic facilities may often be found quite full, especially as the weather warms in these last few weeks of the year.
Involvement in intramural, club and just-for-fun sports plays a large role in making life at Taylor “life to the full.”
Tennis Club is no exception.
Lily Humerickhouse is a sophomore sport management major. This year, she serves as the vice president for Tennis Club, alongside the team’s president, sophomore Corbin Helweg.
Humerickhouse joined Tennis Club right away as a freshman in her fall semester. She saw advertisements for the group and, having played tennis throughout high school, knew she wanted to be a part of it.
Tennis Club is a more recent addition at Taylor.
It started after tennis was dropped as a varsity sport due to restructuring within the athletics department in the spring of 2020.
Unlike a varsity sport, anyone is welcome to join Tennis Club, whether they’ve been a part of a team in high school or have never picked up a racket before.
“We want everyone to be able to come out and feel welcome and just play for fun,” Humerickhouse said.
This year, there are about 30 students involved with Tennis Club and 15 play together consistently. Some players have returned from previous years, but several are new faces, Humerickhouse said.
Practices run for an hour and a half, two days a week. While one of the days is set aside for gameplay and inter-club scrimmages, the other is structured around drills and fun tennis-related games.
Humerickhouse’s favorite game is called “Queen of the Court.” It involves one person, the “king” or “queen,” playing against several other players on the opposite side of the net, who challenge the king or queen and try to win the point, taking their coveted spot.
She also prefers playing doubles over singles.
As the president and vice president of the club, it is Helweg and Humerickhouse’s responsibility to organize a weekend tournament or match-play against another school; they try to get at least one of these opportunities per semester.
This fall, the team traveled to play a match against Ball State on their Muncie, Indiana, campus.
The leaders are currently searching for a tournament the club can attend later this spring.
“Sometimes it’s harder to find tournaments because we’re a smaller school,” Humerickhouse said.
Yet, its small size just might be the special ingredient that allows for intramurals and club sports at Taylor to be the phenomenon they are. As Humerickhouse has experienced, the competitive, yet supportive community of involved students makes for a fun environment.
These tournaments often become a special memory for those who participate.
Humerickhouse remembers a tournament with Tennis Club during her freshman year as being one of her most cherished Tennis Club experiences. The team traveled together to Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan.
“It was fun,” she said. “It was the (President’s) Ball night, so we were all rushing to get back, and that was just really fun because it was the first time we got to travel and really get to know each other on a deeper level because we had the car to talk.”
Like many who participate in intramural and club sports at Taylor, Humerickhouse’s favorite part of Tennis Club is the opportunity to expand her circle.
Being a part of the club has introduced her to others she wouldn’t necessarily have the chance to interact with otherwise.
“I think doing anything that gets all of campus involved is really exciting to see — I get to know a lot of different people,” she said. “So that’s really fun, to get to build relationships while doing something that we all enjoy.”
There is great value in leveraging the fun of sports to get outside, bring purpose to one’s day and be active with friends.
Not everyone has the time or desire to commit to a varsity sport — clubs like Tennis Club offer these students a way to engage without the added stress of daily practice.
“I think it gives people an outlet to come out and have a structured exercise — a structured sport — without the pressure of a varsity sport,” Humerickhouse said.
For those worried about their skill level or unsure whether to join Tennis Club, Humerickhouse welcomes all students.
She also recommends students try intramurals to see what a larger group sport environment feels like before joining a smaller team like Tennis Club offers.
Join the fun and find out firsthand what it’s like to be part of the Taylor intramural and club sport community. After their spring season wraps up, Tennis Club will return to the courts next fall.
