Last year, Sr. Project Engineer Divyank Malviya and Assistant Project Manager Yasser Fayek launched UCSF HSIR’s internal pickleball games—a creative team-bonding activity centered on a shared passion for the outdoors and exercise with a competitive edge.
The team’s weekly matches offer Webcorians a chance to connect outside the job site while physically challenging themselves, enjoying San Francisco’s scenic views, and channeling the everyday stress of project demands into some friendly (but energetic) competition.
“It’s a fantastic team-bonding activity that helps keep everyone close,” Yasser says. “In my opinion, these kind of activities are even more fun than team lunches or happy hours, as the sports component offers a beneficial workout in addition to a lighthearted social setting.”
It all started when a UCSF project team added a ping-pong table to their shared Integrated Center for Design & Construction (ICDC) office. After a couple games, Yasser, Divyank, and Safety Manager Mario Saenz quickly discovered their shared talent for paddle sports, inspiring them to start playing tennis together.
What began as the occasional post-work match has evolved into a highly anticipated weekly competition that includes Sr. Superintendent Mike Spillane, Superintendent Patrick Schock, and Sr. Project Manager Ryan Miller. For the last several months, the team’s looked forward to playing at Lisa & Douglas Goldman Tennis Center in San Francisco’s famous Golden Gate Park, where they get to blow off steam and decompress after a hectic week on the job site.
“We all enjoy ‘talking crap’ about the losing team during our Monday staff meetings,” Yasser says. “Ryan uses the ‘Small Win’ segment at the start of each meeting to highlight this and even introduced a ‘Big Loss’ segment for the losing team. It’s all in good fun and definitely adds a humorous and competitive edge to our meetings!”
“I’ve only won three games, so it’s been quite the exercise in humility,” Patrick jokes. “My favorite part of these matches is seeing the joy on my teammates’ faces as I consider breaking the paddles in half.”
The pickleball matches have consistently been a highlight of the week for all involved, especially in the midst of delivering such a demanding and complex project for a major client. The friendly competition has become a welcome relief from the daily grind and significantly improved team morale, particularly on game days and post-game mornings.
Team activities like HSIR’s pickleball games also go a long way in deepening appreciation for one’s teammates—teammates you’ll only work with for so long, Patrick emphasizes.
“We need to remember we’re all in this together,” he says. “I always try to remind people that as demanding as projects can be, you should take the time to appreciate your teammates because you’ll never be on that team again. Offsite activities go a long way toward achieving that.”
Patrick and Yasser give a major shout-out to Divyank, who’s diligently scheduled the pickleball courts and distributed invitations for the games since the team’s inception.
“This is all Div’s doing!” Patrick says. “He’s the one coordinating everything and making it all happen. We call him our Young Prince.”
