Halloween is just around the corner, and to celebrate the season, the Golden Eagle Pickleball Club will host its inaugural Halloween Bash on Saturday, Oct. 18. The event will last from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Lamar County Tennis and Pickleball Complex.
The event will feature a variety of Halloween-themed games and activities for attendees, including a costume contest, trunk-or-treat, arts and crafts, and rotational pickleball games. Trunk-or-treat will also serve as a platform for other student organizations to collaborate with the Golden Eagle Pickleball Club.
“Organizing GEPC’s Halloween Bash was a whole bunch of fun,” said the club’s vice president, Ashlyn Le. “We just wanted to create a community event for local Hattiesburgers, their families, and students to be able to come out and play pickleball and have fun celebrating the Halloween season.”
Le said planning the event came with challenges—such as funding the trunk-or-treat and finding volunteers—but she was grateful to those who stepped in to ensure the inaugural Halloween Bash becomes a staple in the community for years to come. She welcomes all volunteers to reach out if they are interested in helping with the event.
Among a crowded field of other clubs and organizations, Le said the accessibility of the Golden Eagle Pickleball Club makes it stand out. More than anything, she wanted the club to be a space that everyone feels welcome in, whether they are new to the sport or experienced players. Finding a good balance between fun and competitiveness that keeps all levels of players engaged was a point of focus for the club’s executive team.
“Members can choose the level of play that fits their skill by playing with different players and rotating games. This helps with the social aspect as well as helps beginners get better at pickleball,” Le said. “It also helps ensure beginners feel welcome and improve their skills while letting everyone meet and get to know each other.”
Additionally, the club maintains a strong social media presence. Typically, it posts at least twice a week on its Instagram, recapping the week’s pickleball play on Mondays and Thursdays. Posts often follow a specific theme to keep the content fresh. Recently, the club featured “The Summer I Played Pickleball,” inspired by the Amazon Prime Video series "The Summer I Turned Pretty.”
Though pickleball is not a new sport, it has gained traction in recent years, and the Hattiesburg community has become a hotspot for players. While the Golden Eagle Pickleball Club was only established last semester, the Southern Miss community has quickly embraced it and helped grow its membership.
“The Southern Miss community has been overwhelmingly welcoming. We have gotten a number of compliments from students, faculty, and other organizations,” Le said. “We have even gotten compliments from tour guides and Southern Style leaders. Pickleball’s recent rise in popularity definitely helped us gain traction as a student organization that has only been active for two semesters.”
Club president Haiden Lowery emphasized the community’s role in the club’s growth since becoming an official organization.
“The community has been nothing short of supportive,” Lowery said. “The sport is huge in Hattiesburg, and the courts stay busy with kind people who enjoy meeting others. I’d like to think that GEPC adds to that welcoming culture that pickleball is known for.”
As this is only the club’s second semester in operation, it has worked to engage incoming freshmen and transfer students. So far, the semester has been a success, with the club now boasting more than 130 members.
“With the new class of freshmen, we have almost doubled our membership and weekly turnout compared to last year,” Lowery said. “We are so excited that so many people are interested and willing to spend time with us every Thursday.”
The club plans to host more themed events in the future, as well as tournaments open to all skill levels. Each week, the club plays on Mondays from 8 to 10 p.m. and Thursdays from 8 to 10:30 p.m. at the Lamar County Tennis and Pickleball Complex.
Student organizations interested in participating in the trunk-or-treat at the Halloween Bash can email [email protected]. Volunteers who want to help with the event can visit volunteer.usm.edu.
