Kevin Durant is playing a game of pickleball and trying to learn how to play the sport. There is a time and a place.
A tennis racket was in Catherine Parenteau's hand when she was born. After working her way up the circuit, the Canadian achieved a top-five ranking in the country. She was recruited by the University of Arkansas to play tennis and played collegiately at Michigan State University.
During her last year at Michigan State, Parenteau discovered a new sport, one that caught her interest and made her want to play it.
The 27 year old is a professional tennis player.
To see Parenteau on the court is to know that the sport has a hard-core, athletic side to it as well. The level of play is only going to get better as athletes get younger.
According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association's annual report on single sport, there are over four million people playing the game of pickleball in the US. There are hundreds of tournaments throughout the year for players under the age of 24. The first organization to offer a professional tour was thePPA.
Simone Jardim, Parenteau's tennis coach at Michigan State, suggested she try the sport after seeing her play. It took Parenteau three weeks to pick up a paddle.
Parenteau was surprised that she liked it. She started playing three to four times a week. I entered the US Open Pickleball tournament.
The tournaments are open to both amateur and professional players. Ken Hermann founded thePPA while Parenteau's star was growing.
He says that the tour is the official pro tour of the USA. We had steady growth after we got shut down due to the Pandemic.
In 2022, there were 32 events for pros to play in.
We are in a unique phase right now. We are not at the stage where the pro tour breaks away on its own, but I don't think we are that far away from that.
Prize money isn't enough for a pro player to make a living. The singles and doubles winners of thePPA Championship will get a large amount of money. There are a lot of sponsors who want to close that gap. Parenteau's sponsors include: Charge Electric Bikes, Takeya pickleball accessories, and Paddletek paddles.
It was difficult to travel to tournaments initially. With the expansion of thePPA, I am able to travel and afford a team that helps me stay on top of my game.
A coach and a nutrition expert are on that team. Parenteau is on the court four to five times a week and has to take a break five times a week.
You need a lot of athletic ability to compete at this level. There are a lot of young women in the top 1,000 of the women's tennis tour.
The more experienced players are being made aware of these up-and-comers.
Parenteau said it was difficult to play against the young players at 27. The more talent enters the sport, the better it gets.
As the popularity of the sport continues to grow, it will attract more sponsors, participants and fans to follow the pro circuit. That is what New Belgium beer is hoping to become.
It's an inclusive, quirky sport that you can make as competitive as you want. The talent at the pro level is insane and as more people watch it, they will see that legit athletes are at the top of the game.
pickleball is evolving into a competitive club sport at the college level despite not being an official NCAA sport.
It's easy to learn and pick up, that's the beauty of pickleball. You need to be dedicated to get it to the pro level. It's good for the sport if you don't just go out on the weekend and play and expect to win.
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