Students from Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry launch a pickleball club, bringing together nearly 100 future dentists every week to unwind.
Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry students gather every Friday afternoon at Viva for pickleball, building friendships and community outside the classroom and clinic.
Photo by Provided
On a sunny afternoon, dental student Sebastian Marmorato, Class of 2030, ended a busy week by putting down his medical tools, including his mirrors and explorers, and traded them for a pickleball paddle. He wound up and sent the ball sailing over the net, leaving the week’s coursework behind.
“It’s such a fun sport,” Marmorato said. “It relies on many different skills shared with other sports, and it’s great in the sense that anyone can play.”
Marmorato is serving both friendly competition and connection with his classmates weekly at Viva Pickleball, a court just off campus.
He and his fellow future dentists have been meeting every Friday afternoon over the fall semester to connect with each other and take a break from the demands of school.
“By the time we get to Friday, everybody’s brain is a little tired. We’re all ready to just let loose and play some pickleball, and it’s been great,” he said.
Sebastian Marmorato (left) and Eric Wang, both the Class of 2030, have a love of learning, as well as pickleball.
The group started shortly before classes began in August after Marmorato reached out to his classmates over social media.
“He was just like, ‘Hey, whoever’s interested, I’m thinking of having us all play pickleball,’” said Eric Wang, Class of 2030, from Pittsburgh.
At the first meetup, just a few students got together. The following week, about 30 students showed up. Today, the club has grown to more than 90 members.
“We have so many people in our class who come out that it’s much more than we had anticipated,” Wang said. “It’s been such a fun way to build a community in our class by having this pickleball club. Everyone has a great time.”
Part of the appeal is the low level of entry for players, Marmorato said, adding that pickleball does not require years of experience or even a particular athletic background to get in on the fun.
“It’s a very versatile sport,” he said. “Regardless of your experience level, anyone can just get started and give it a shot.”
Dental students trade medical tools, including mirrors and explorers, for pickleball paddles every Friday afternoon.
Kornberg Dean Amid Ismail said it’s encouraging to learn students are building camaraderie both in the classroom and on the pickleball court.
“Success in dentistry depends on teamwork, communication and leadership,” Ismail said. “Those skills are developed not only in a clinic or classroom, but through experiences like playing pickleball, where students learn to work together, support one another and maintain a healthy balance in their lives.”
Ismail also noted that while dental school can be demanding, activities, like pickleball, offer a way to unwind.
“Our students have 8 a.m. to at least 5 p.m. schedules, and they study afterwards,” Ismail said. “Hence, learning that so many students are playing pickleball is very encouraging because we emphasize the wellness of our students and balancing studies with daily living.”
Kornberg also offers free yoga and other physical activity classes in the Jo Ann Nyquist and Family Yoga Room. Ismail said the pickleball club is another example of students taking the initiative to build healthy routines.
Marmorato moved from Toronto to attend Temple and said the club has become a way to build friendships while pursuing his goal of becoming a dentist. He chose Temple for its research opportunities and large patient population and is working to gain the clinical experience needed to care for his future patients.
“I know Temple will give me the hands-on experience I need to become a dentist,” he said. “And it’s great to have something like pickleball as part of my academic journey, and to see how it’s become a part of so many of my classmates’ journeys, too.”