I like to think I have a fairly wide social and work circle. Yet there are days when I’ll receive, say, 30 texts…and, oh, at least 25 of the messages are from pickleball pals! I only started playing the paddle sport in November 2021, yet I honestly can’t remember how I filled my days before pickleball. In a typical week, I play three or four days for two hours at a time. (Bear in mind: My kids are in college, and I am my own boss.) 

Now that the Pacific Northwest weather has turned wet, I play indoors most of the time. A bit of a bummer as A) I love being outside, and B) it costs money to rent a court with friends, or take part in an “open play” session with random people (some of whom will, most likely, become my pickleball pals!). There’s so much demand that it’s  a bit of a mad scramble to secure a court or get registered for a session. Yet I gotta have my PB-fixes! 

Rather than creating each week’s pickleball sessions from scratch, I like having “lily pads” in my life—established events to look forward to. For that reason, last January, I organized a women’s pickleball league. Eight of us play every Tuesday morning for two hours at a place called The People’s Courts; I  deemed us the Portland Pickleball Posse. (I love me some alliteration!) Skill-wise, we are all pretty evenly matched and, perhaps more importantly, we all have a similar approach to the sport: We take our play, but not ourselves, too seriously. This translates to a lot of laughter between points—and often during points! We have countless inside jokes (e.g. I nicknamed one player Pollo, and whenever she hits a particularly excellent shot, she and I dance around the court like chickens, flapping our bent arms and shaking our (imaginary) tail tail feathers. And several of us, myself included, are proud members of Team Awkward because of our occasional unorthodox, lacking-in-grace moves on the court. (Like I said: inside jokes.)

Tuesday Pickleball Posse (Pollo is in patterned hat at the front)

As much as I love my family, these Tuesday morning sessions are the guaranteed happiest two hours of my week. I go to bed excited on Monday night, and awake with a smile on my face. And despite being a Scrooge, I organized a holiday party for the posse that’s happening tonight (squeee!). We’re holding the shindig at the same place we play (they have the TASTIEST dang pizza, and loads of microbrews) and, yes, we have a court reserved for an hour, even though we will have just played in league in the morning. (Insert self-deprecating, eye-rolling laughter emoji here.) 

Thursday morning gals

Recently, though, I decided I needed another guaranteed pickleball session in my week, so I gathered three other gals for regular Thursday morning games. I felt a sense of calm joy spread over me as I scheduled the weekly “league” sessions through April. The moral to my story (other than start playing pickleball stat)? Find your people in the activity that fills your cup. Ask that colleague to train with you for that St. Patty’s Day 15K you’ve always talked about. Find a hiking club in your area, and show up for a group excursion. Chat with the gal next to you in barre class who always greets you with a warm smile, and suggest grabbing coffee together after class. Join a Masters swim team. Attend a November Project workout. Sign up for a beginner’s pickleball course. Before you know it, your Message app will be pinging like mine!

Looking to give pickleball a try? Our friends at Selkirk are offering an assist. Use code AMRBUNDLE for a free 4-pack of Pro S1 balls with $50+ purchase.