08/19/2026
REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED ✌️🏓
One of the truly beautiful things about this groovy sport we play is that pickleball can be enjoyed on so many different levels.
From the occasional player out there for “hits and giggles,” to the rec player looking for social connection and healthy exercise, to tournament players who train hard to improve their skills and strategies, all the way up to professionals who make it a rigorous way of life.
But here's something I've noticed:
If you get too caught up in constantly striving to level up, pickleball can start to feel more like work than recreation.
In my earlier playing days, my favorite day was Friday. I'd go play with a big group, laugh and sweat for a couple of hours, and then 20+ of us would head out for beers and burgers before going home for an afternoon nap.
Life was good. 😂
Eventually, though, my drive to improve made me reconsider playing with the same folks every week. And, unfortunately, my quest for higher-level pickleball also required stepping away from the obligatory post-game meat and brewskis.
In the past few months, I've joined an indoor club, worked on raising my DUPR (DUPRession will definitely be a topic for another post), and gotten invitations to play with some seriously high-caliber competitors.
And that's great. I'm improving my game.
But there are days when performance anxiety, imposter syndrome, or simply feeling the eye-rolling irritation of a younger player who just got stuck with the “old hippie” during advanced open play can leave me feeling stressed and grumpy.
So last weekend, I went back.
I played with one of the groups from my earlier pickleball days—the group I'd essentially “moved on” from—to see if I could reconnect with the JOY of pickleball.
Guess what?
It worked.
It felt great to reconnect with a bunch of people who were genuinely happy to see me.
I wasn't there to pound anyone. I wasn't there to show off my skills.
I made a point of working on resets and dink rallies to make the games more enjoyable for everyone. I didn't coach anyone, but I like to think I modeled good play and strategy and maybe elevated the games around me a little.
And I even enjoyed getting burned by the occasional blistering down-the-line drive or slammed overhead.
There's something pretty satisfying about watching someone else light you up. 😂
But what I really enjoyed was catching up with everyone.
Hearing about their kids.
Getting invited to neighborhood parties.
Laughing.
Remembering the camaraderie that can sometimes disappear when pickleball becomes increasingly competitive.
So here's my Pickle Hippie prescription:
Don't become a pickleball snob.
Don't forget the people and the groups that helped you fall in love with this game in the first place.
If you're finding that pickleball isn't as much fun as it used to be, go back.
Play with the old crew.
Laugh.
Miss some shots.
Let somebody younger burn you down the line.
Maybe even stay for the burgers.
Reconnect with the unbridled joy, laughter, friendship, and fun that got you hooked in the first place.
Then go back to the grind refreshed and rejuvenated.
Because sometimes the best way to improve your pickleball...
is to remember why you started playing it. ✌️🏓
