Teaching Life through Pickleball

What I learned about life from Pickleball by Former Callawassie Island Director of Racquet Sports Andy Sklarin

Pickleball is holding tight to its crown of being the fastest growing sport in America. The frenzy has held steady for years (depending on the source, anywhere from three to six years), but with stats like 36 million playing and 200% ongoing growth in those noticing America’s newest favorite pastime, the draw and enthusiasm show no signs of slowing down.

Of the 13,969 places in the US where you can pick up a paddle and play, Callawassie Island’s Pickleball Club is about more than just how to perfect your flick shot. Players here come for the game, but they stay for the connections fostered between members and the connecting tone set by former director Andy Sklarin.

Ranging between 120-150 active players on the list, games are in full swing on the island three days a week, with co-ed matchups, men’s groups on Thursday afternoon, and women’s on Friday afternoons, filling two or three courts each time. It’s a full house, with, of course, room for more.

Among a wide variety of Callawassie Island Clubs, Sklarin and members call the Pickleball Club a “decent meeting place” referring to the game’s ability to bring differing people groups and interests together, meeting people they wouldn’t usually have a chance to meet, including an app where they can reach out and invite each other to play.

Sklarin encourages, for those able to manage the basic physicality of the game, nothing is needed beyond an interest in learning more and a desire to jump in. The club offers equipment people can borrow and has lessons available as well as looking forward to doing beginner clinics. According to Sklarin, “Some sports you must learn to play. Pickleball is one of those games you can play to learn – we can have you up and running in about 30 minutes.”

Having had taught tennis full time since 2003 and serving previously as a pro for Callawassie’s tennis club, what Sklarin brings to the court is a passion for more than just the game. “There’s a reason pickleball is so easy to love. There’s an energy around it that people enjoy, and it bridges gaps – in ability, in interests, and growth on and off the court.  I get to watch not just someone’s growth in the game as they get better – beginning to advanced – I also get to see people learn about their life and how they learn, how they interact with others, how they grow as people.”

Most of Sklarin’s coaching advice is as applicable in life as on the court:

• Examine your connections and sportsmanship with Sklarin’s encouraging question: “If they asked you to play again, would you say yes, or would you ask them to play again with you?”
• Have fun with it and be safe. Realize it’s a game, don’t let your youthful brain trick you into doing something your body doesn’t want to do. Know your limits and boundaries, and then within those lanes, have fun. That’s the way pickleball should be played.
• Learn to say, “nice shot” – a fantastic principle in or out of the game, giving credit where due and building others up.

“It’s like teaching life through pickleball,”  Sklarin says, “and on the side people learn to play the sport. It’s fun to watch them succeed at both.”

Read also: Pickleball is a Finesse