It all started in 2018 when I first learned about Pickleball. Of course, that’s not long ago but I love Pickleball so much I thought I would share as much information as possible through Pickleball Fire so others can enjoy the game too.
While it may seem strange to start a website on Pickleball since I’ve played for less than one year, I have always enjoyed sports. In fact, I loved sports so much I studied them in college and received two graduate degrees related to them. One was a Master’s degree in Physical Education and the second was a Ph.D. in Sports Psychology.
Before that I played volleyball, basketball, and softball in high school. I also covered high school sports for the local newspaper. Heading into college, I didn’t pursue a sports scholarship as I was more interested in academics. However, I was recruited to play Division III volleyball in college when the coach saw I was wearing volleyball shoes in the cafeteria. The basketball coach needed some players too so I also played Division I basketball in my freshman year at university.
After that I took up racquetball and became an open player. I just played a couple of years at that level because I pursued graduate level studies in Sports Psychology but I was able to teach racquetball at the university so I stayed active.
During the last 30 years, I continued to play sports mostly soccer and some tennis. But 5 years ago I tore my ACL in my knee so I was so happy to find Pickleball last year. It lets me enjoy a competitive game while being much easier on my body than sports like racquetball, tennis, or soccer.
The great thing about Pickleball is I learn something each time I play or watch a video. This may be from discussing a strategy with my partner, noticing how higher level players hit dinks, or practicing serves on my own. While I’m never going to be a pro player at this age, I can share my experiences as I improve so others can learn too.
Pickleball Fire brings together the best in instruction, clinics, tournaments and products.
Some of this will come in the form of product reviews as I know I relied on these heavily when purchasing my first paddle. Since new paddles are manufactured all of the time, it’s good to keep up-to-date on the latest paddles.
I’m also creating a central place for people to come to for information on Pickleball clinics. It’s amazing how many are offered throughout the world. I learned this as I began researching where people can learn about Pickleball. Some are destination clinics where you go for a week or more outside the U.S. to locations in Europe, Asia, or Mexico. These trips combine Pickleball instruction with tours of different countries. Most include instruction from at least one 5.0 pro player.
Other clinics are more local in nature and may be available on a weekly basis at locations like your local YMCA or the middle school gym in your town. These are usually taught by experienced Pickleball players but generally are not pro players. Some are certified teachers and some are not. This doesn’t make much difference in the instruction, however, so don’t hesitate to go to them.
You also can now search for tournaments in the U.S. and Canada. It’s crazy how many tournaments you can play in, especially if you live in Florida! You’ll find tournaments in all states and provinces. If you have information on your tournament, I’d be happy to post it.
I hope you enjoy Pickleball Fire. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Lynn
