OTD students build community and confidence with inaugural adaptive pickleball tournament

In August, the second-year MUSC Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program (OTD) class hosted our inaugural adaptive pickleball tournament in conjunction with Adaptive Expeditions, an educational nonprofit organization that builds community through offering sport and recreation programs to individuals with physical and sensory disabilities.

With the popularity of pickleball, we not only wanted to create an event that would promote and spread awareness of this sport played by individuals with disabilities but also offer an opportunity to foster community and friendly competition. Inspired by the Shots With A Spin (SWAS) wheelchair basketball tournament hosted by the MUSC Doctor Physical Therapy (DPT) program, which we also participated in this year, we wanted to host an adaptive sports event of our own with Adaptive Expeditions.

As co-service committee chairs for the OTD program, we are overjoyed with the outcome of our adaptive pickleball tournament! Although this first effort was small with six teams, participants traveled from all corners of South Carolina to attend and play pickleball with other individuals, who quickly became friends. In the first round of games, experienced adaptive pickleball players decided it would be best to organize the two-person teams with one expert player partnered with a newcomer to the sport.

Their camaraderie was inspiring, and by the end of the day, participants who had never touched a pickleball paddle before were playing in competitive games with the support of each other. One of the best parts of the day was after the tournament ended, participants and volunteers decided to keep the fun going and continued to play more pickleball on the available courts.

An adaptive pickleball tournament fits ideally into our curriculum as OTD students because it allows us to genuinely understand what it means when we say we will be treating a future patient as a “whole person,” and it’s an opportunity for us to take time to connect with individuals who have physical disabilities in a community setting other than in a clinic or academic space. Here’s what a couple of our classmates had to say about the experience:

“Being a part of something where people can come embrace their differences, compete, learn, and build community all in one setting is so special. I am grateful to have been a part of the adaptive pickleball tournament and would love to go back!” – Caroline Crowe, OTD ’26”

“It was so cool to see the community building that came out of the adaptive pickleball tournament. I loved watching the experienced players teach the newcomers tips and tricks on game strategy and how best to hit the ball. There were tons of laughs, and even though it was a competition, it was fun to see players of all levels work together.” – Skylar Herman, OTD ’26

This experience allowed us to understand the importance for our participants to be involved in events like an adaptive pickleball tournament and why this is a chosen occupation. Whether the event was important for our participants’ social participation (e.g., friendships, family participation, community participation, peer group participation), physical activity, play, or leisure, we embraced the opportunity to get to know everyone, hear their stories, and learn what matters to them.

We look forward to building upon this event in years to come, and we highly recommend participation from not only future OTD students but also fellow members of the MUSC community. Although pickleball is full of excitement and competition, we can confirm that the highlight of participating in this event is the community and friendship cultivated by the tournament.

This event was made possible with the support of Joe Moore, the founding executive director of Adaptive Expeditions, as well as our professors, classmates, volunteers, and eager participants. Thanks to Mackenzie Walker, OTD ’24, who encouraged us to make an adaptive sports event sponsored by MUSC OTD students a reality. Because of Amy Evans, the parks and recreation director of the town of Summerville, we were able to use the Rollins Edwards Community Center free of cost!

Additionally, we are incredibly grateful for assistance from Bradley Sweatt, an American board-certified prosthetist orthotist and founder of Prosthetic & Orthotic Associates of South Carolina, who sponsored our tournament by covering participant and spectator registration fees, lunch and snacks, and $200 worth of prizes. With his support, we were able to ensure that participants who were new to the sport felt confident exploring pickleball and signing up without financial concerns.