Reflections on my two year pickleball anniversary

and related personal updates (hint: I'm pickled to share this news!)

I discovered pickleball in February 2021¹. Remember that time? We were in deep pandemic mode, vaccines were coming at some point, it was WINTER - things were dark. Enter: Pickleball.

I convinced my parents and sister (our pod) to rent a bungalow in Florida for February, to give ourselves a break from the cold. Once there, my cousin - a competitive tennis player - introduced us to pickleball, available on a community court nearby. Please witness my first ever pickleball Instagram here - when I had no idea it would change my life.

Pickleball gave us something to enjoy as a family that we all could participate in -though let it go on the record that the doubles team of me and my sister ended the month with more wins than our parents!

In the last two years, pickleball has given me so much - notably a community of people of all ages from all over the world, many of whom have become my good friends even off the court.

In major news, pickleball has inspired a career pivot (see my goodbye post to book publishing here): I’m happy to share that I am one month in to my new job as CMO of CityPickle, NYC’s first indoor pickleball club!

CityPickle (sign up for our newsletter / follow @CityPickle) feels like the culmination of what I hadn’t even realized I’d been seeking, and I’m excited to be on this adventure and building something new - notably, helping bring (more) pickleball to NYC and beyond!

Other pickleball-related highlights I’ve been remiss in sharing in this newsletter:

• The NY Post revealed renderings of CityPickle’s first permanent indoor location in LIC- view them here

• I interviewed Pickleball Pro Tyson McGuffin, “the most electrifying man in sports”, for my first byline with InPickleball here - and watch a PG-13 related clip of Tyson’s best advice for beginner players here

• Lived in Mexico for five weeks and played pickleball in Oaxaca City, Mexico City, and Sayulita - and (unsurprisingly) met amazing players who became friends in each location

• Appeared in my first pickleball advertising campaign with some of my besties across NYC - you may have seen us in a subway station or digital screen - watch a clip here

• Participated in my first Instagram live with Laura Gainor from Pickleball in the Sun, here

And so much more! Thanks for being here, and I hope to get back to a more regular cadence of interviews talking with people about their love of pickleball this year.

1. I technically had played pickleball for the first time a few months prior, but I pulled my calf very quickly leaping in to the kitchen (lol), so while a great introduction, I wasn’t yet indoctrinated.