Pickleball and the Fun of Figuring It Out

So, pickleball. For all the hype around the sport these last few years, I only recently picked up a paddle—and when I learned it started in 1965 with a few dads on Bainbridge Island, Washington, just trying to keep their kids entertained on a summer afternoon, I loved the idea of it even more. Because so much of life is exactly that: improvising your way into joy. It’s been another fun week.

Last Tuesday, fellow columnist Chef Andrew Chambers met me at my house at 6:30 a.m. so we could head up to Peachtree Corners for the Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships.

Chef and I had only learned to play a few weeks earlier at a StartUp Fayette event, but we’d both been wanting to get back on the court. So when we were invited to come as a media duo, we were in. I had Citizen-branded shirts made, and we were ready.

We didn’t get to play on the pro court due to rain, but we did get to spend time with pro player Chuck Taylor, watch some incredibly high-level play, and soak in the atmosphere. It was awesome. And of course, I keep thinking about those dads. Someone saying, “Let’s make something of this.”

That’s part of why I like pickleball so much already. It’s fun, yes. It’s social. It’s a little addictive. But it also feels like a sticky-note reminder that the best things in life begin, well, simply. Just a few people and the willingness to try and make something good out of what’s in front of you.

That’s part of what we’re building at JHD and at The Nexus too. So much of business and community starts the same way. Not with perfect conditions, but with an idea. A question. The right conversation at the right time. A willingness to see what something could become.

I saw that this week while meeting with an artist at her studio. Afterward, she told me she was still buzzing because she hadn’t had a conversation like that in four and a half years. It felt like a pretty good example of what can happen when we step outside of comfort and figure things out with other people. That’s where things begin.

So yes, I’m looking forward to learning the game. Not because I need to master it tomorrow, but because there’s something good about stepping into something new and letting yourself be a beginner. Turns out, beginners get to have a lot of fun too.

(But side note: if you lose a game of pickleball without scoring a single point, apparently you’ve been “pickled.” I am hoping to avoid that part.)