WE all know what a visionary leader and force of nature Loretta is and apparently, the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) knows it, too! Loretta was recently awarded the 2021 Industry Excellence Award for the Intermountain Region and we couldn't be more proud of that recognition for her. Read more on the SteamboatTennisandPickleball.com website ..read more

In case you missed the Tennis & Pickleball Center's weekly eNewsletter on Sunday 1/16/22, Court Sports 4 Life's "2021: Year in Review" report is now available, sharing highlights from the Tennis & Pickleball Center’s operations as well as the outdoor expansion project, both of which are CS4L’s responsibilities. It’s also our chance to thank the 200+ donors who have made Phase 1 possible, all listed in the report and below. We couldn’t do this without you! Here’s CS4L’s Executive Director’s message from the Year In Review report: 2021 will go down in history for many reasons, good and b ..read more

This Bloomberg News article headline says it all! We pickleball aficionados already know how much fun the game is but it's great to read about the increase in sponsorships, which will hopefully make it possible for the pros to make a living playing the sport. And more TV coverage will only increase pickleball's popularity! TV networks have taken notice. Recently, Fox Sports signed a deal with the PPA under which the national broadcaster will air pickleball events across its cable channels and web sites. Fans can also now watch pickleball competitions on the CBS Sports Network, the Tennis Chan ..read more

Thanks, Frank Dolman, for sending along this hilarious outsider's commentary on pickleball by comedian Josh Pray: https://youtu.be/qU6hWzCSs4c Source: biggeekdad.com/2019/12/the-game-for-seniors ..read more

[From PPATour.com email blast today] Today is a huge day for pickleball as Tennis Channel is going to broadcast Championship Sunday at the Orlando Cup! Tennis Channel has been on site since Thursday setting up state-of-the-art camera equipment, including a camera on rails that follows players on the court. We have an incredible lineup for you that be found below: 12 pm: W Singles: Anna Leigh Waters vs. Lea Jansen 1:15 pm: MD Gold: Ben Johns/Matt Wright vs. TBD 2:30 pm: WD Gold: Anna Leigh Waters/Leigh Waters vs. Simone Jardim/Lucy Kovallova 3:45 pm: M Gold: Ben Johns vs. Tyson McGuffin 5 pm ..read more

Sports Illustrated executive editor and senior writer Jon Wertheim answers readers' questions weekly and he had a lot to say about pickleball this week! You can read his column but here are some excerpts to save you time: A media rule passed through committee, while no one was looking: no print publication worth its masthead can get out of the summer without an examination of the pickleball craze. Here’s the New Yorker last week. And Sports Illustrated before that. And the NYT. Tennis Magazine, to the horror of many of you, put pickleball on its recent cover. I see no existential threat to t ..read more

Woo-hoo, we've been nominated in three categories for this year's Best of the Boat! All three are in the Business & Community category. Please vote for us by August 21st and spread the word. Best Non-Profit – Once you're in the Business & Community category, choose Best Non-Profit in the left sidebar and vote for "Court Sports 4 Life." (Alternatively, you can vote for "Steamboat Tennis Association" but you can't vote for both.) Best Youth Program – Still in the Business & Community category, scroll to the next-to-last section and vote for "Steamboat Tennis and Pickleball." Best Y ..read more

We've all heard bits and pieces of how pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington as a way for three dads to entertain bored kids. The most definitive telling of pickleball's history is on USA Pickleball's website with a timeline, videos and background. If you're interested in a shorter video ( Trivia question: What member of the Steamboat pickleball community grew up playing pickleball on Bainbridge Island in the 60s? (Email debbie@courtsports4life.org for the answer ..read more

Lots of informative, fun ... and mainstream articles about pickleball lately! A very comprehensive one was published in The New Yorker on 7/18/22 that covered history, shared anecdotes, and described the current competing pro tours run by the Association of Pickleball professionals (APP) and the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) ... and now Major League Pickleball (MLP) with its own tournaments. You can read it here: Can Pickleball Save America? by Sarah Larson The sport, beloved for its democratic spirit, could unite the country – if it doesn't divide itself first. By the way, here's ..read more

An article in the Desert Sun (Palm Springs, CA) tipped us off that the July/August 2022 issue of Tennis Magazine not only features top pickleball player Ben Johns, but has dedicated the entire issue to pickleball! The point is not that pickleball has taken over but that it has its roots in tennis, with most of the pros coming up through tennis. As the Desert Sun reporter concludes, "having Tennis Magazine acknowledge pickleball in such a significant way is a big step. It is our hope that we can work together to build and support both sports in the future ..read more