BY SAM SCHAFFER
What they’re saying
Looking ahead
Breanna Escochea, 37, said she’s met people she wouldn’t have without playing pickleball. “This is like a demographic I wouldn’t nor- mally cross paths with, but getting to has been really great,” she explained. “I’ve made some really good friends in a di erent season of life, which I think is good for anybody to do.” Escochea said she got into pickleball about a year and a half ago after other sports began to seem risky. “I played sports in high school, and I thought when I got a certain age sports was kind of o the table because I kept getting hurt,” she said. “Then I found pickleball, and it’s just such a low barrier to entry, you can get good at it pretty quickly and you can play it forever.” Senior players gravitate to the sport for its accessibility and ease of play. “It’s relatively easy on your joints,” RobBob Wucher, 71, said, explaining that he’s been playing pickleball for around 10 years, and when
As pickleball picks up steam, the sport is venturing into more serious competitions as well. Pro circuits now tour the country entertaining paying spectators. Parodi said the Austin area is a hub for serious players. The wide range of facilities lends well to practice and coaching. From May 23-26, Major League Pickleball hosted one of its regular season events at Austin Pickle Ranch. Twenty-two teams competed to earn a spot in the playos in August. Additionally, Players in the PPA tour travel the country competing for the top spots in the league’s rankings. The ultimate goal is to compete in and win at the PPA Finals held San Clemente California, according to the PPA Tour.
he started playing, people were still using Ping- Pong paddles. He said he and his wife host an annual pick- leball party with people they’ve met through playing. “All our friends now are pickleballers,” Wucher said. Pickleball resembles a combination of Ping-Pong and tennis. Players run back and forth on smaller courts to hit a ball back and forth over a net. Only the serving team can score, and games are typically played to 11. BILL PARODI, FOUNDER AND CEO OF PICKLEPLEX HOLDINGS
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LEANDER LIBERTY HILL EDITION
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