UMICH Pickleball Intro: CAM, The Pride & Joy of Detroit

Cam (sleeping on far right) may look like a sleeper, but he’s no slouch - steeped in sport and winning. SOURCE: UOFMPICKLEBALLCLUB/INSTAGRAM

Cameron grew up in a Detroit suburb only some twenty minutes from Ann Arbor alongside his two younger sisters and was active as an athlete, piano player, and in other extracurriculars. Soccer was the sport he took most seriously, ultimately playing for his high school’s varsity team for three years. This is especially impressive considering the status of Cam’s high school as a soccer powerhouse – they were consistently top five to top ten in the state, and Cam came away with All-Region, All-Conference, and All-State (honorable mention) honors. He loved soccer and loved playing with his team, but was inspired by COVID to add tennis to his sports repertoire. As a one-year varsity player positioned at “4 Singles,” Cam won the majority of his matches, and describes enjoying the individual aspect of the sport. Compared to soccer, he liked that he felt he had a higher sense of control over the outcomes within the competition. 

So where did pickleball come in? Well, Cam was lucky enough to have a park with courts nearby back home, and he was able to round up enough buddies (from tennis and otherwise) to form eight-team mini-tournaments once a week. Cam said he found the transition from tennis to be a bit tricky, but he was able to figure it out fairly quickly, learning to “embrace pickleball as its own sport.”. He easily made the pickleball team this winter after having played with the club a bit during his freshman year.

Cam acting he’s awake - but he’s actually sleeping!!! (JK) SOURCE: UOFMPICKLEBALLCLUB/INSTAGRAM

In play, Cam is a fast, relentlessly energetic teammate. His fast-twitch muscles and speed make him a wall on defense, and as an offensive player, he wields consistent and effective drop shots from the back–a shot Cam remarks having seen improve exponentially since joining the club, gaining the ability to confidently vary between flat drops and spin drop to exploit his opponent’s position. As far as areas to improve, Cam is aware that he can get overexcited and overaggressive at times, causing him to rush his shots or attempt poor ones. He also wants to improve some of his fundamental shots, such as his rolls, dinks, and resets.

Cam celebrating after winning a point (PHOTO CRED: ELLIOT ROTHSTEIN)

As a student, Cam is a sophomore working on his Business degree at the Ross School of Business, looking to also minor in Economics and Data Science. He enjoys the environment here on campus and is part of multiple clubs, obviously including pickleball, but he’s also had the opportunity to explore other talents and interests, like financial consulting.

Cam is a natural athlete with a pickleball persona just as upbeat and exciting as his personality off-the-court. Since finding the sport only a short while ago, Cam has taken on opportunities to play whenever possible, approaching each practice and match with a determination to play hard and improve. Sure enough, Cam has likely made himself the team’s most improved player (since joining) and is certainly a rising name to watch on next year’s college pickleball circuit.