As I got older, I began playing tournaments and competitive high school play. I ended up placing third for our school district in the state of Georgia. This was a huge accomplishment for me! Soon after, tennis fell by the wayside as I moved out to Utah and began attending BYU. I no longer had my dad or brother to play with every day.
Fast forward to this Christmas break, I went home to visit my family for a few weeks. I was expecting many hours of tennis with my family during this short break home, however, my dad asked if I had ever tried the sport “Pickleball”. At first, I thought there was no way a sport with the name of food could be fun or even taken seriously. Boy was I wrong!! My dad and I went to the local Y in Augusta, Georgia. There we were met with about twenty other people who were all pickleball lovers. I was thrown into the fire before I even knew what a “dink” was!
As soon as I stepped onto the court it was incredible. I fell in love with the game! It reminded me of when I first started playing tennis again. Even though I had never played before, I loved taking my tennis mechanics and try to translate them into an effective pickleball strategy.
My dad could tell I loved the sport and the last thing he gave me before I left to come back to Utah was a brand new Z5 Onix paddle, and boy has that thing been put to use since! You can now find me usually playing twice a week on either indoor court if the weather is bad, or outdoor courts, which is my preference. So far, I have participated in two tournaments and don’t plan to stop!
I love this sport immensely and It has really taken me back to my true tennis roots. I’m grateful for everyone who has mentored me and helped me learn the game. I invite anyone and everyone to share their pickleball story!
How did you get started? I’m excited to see what people share! 
and before you know it, they’ll be asking you what pickleball paddle to buy! 