to-day challenges for Kory, such as going out in public, on
a date, to a movie, or simply sitting in the bleachers at a
sporting event. For Kory, these things had become almost
unbearable. Despite his high level of discomfort, Kory began
to warrior through challenge after challenge, but there was
still a heaviness that weighed on him everywhere he went.
In 2012, Kory chose to accept one challenge— to take
the family on a small vacation to visit his mother. This was
the first time Kory was introduced to the sport of pickleball.
For Kory, true joy came from simply being with his mother
and enjoying time with her friends playing a new sport,
but he never gave it much thought. After returning home,
Kory regressed back into isolation and the comfort zones of
biking long distances alone and watching sports endlessly.
Fast forward to 2016 when Kory’s wife, Kathy, decided
to visit the local YMCA a few miles from their new home
in Texas. While touring the facility, she picked up a flyer
for an upcoming pickleball tournament. Remembering
Kory’s experience playing pickleball with his mother four
years earlier, Kathy energetically signed them both up
for the tournament. “I remember Kathy coming home all
excited telling me she had just signed us up for a pickleball
tournament that was starting in two days,” Kory says.
“At first I said no because I just wanted to ride my bike
and watch sports like every Saturday.” Feeling it may be
something he and Kathy could do together, Kory agreed to
play in the tournament.
The following morning Kory and Kathy arrived to play in
their first pickleball tournament. Having played only once
before, they had no idea what to do. “We got to the gym
and it was packed with pickleball players from all over
the area,” Kory says. “When I checked in they asked what
division we were in. I had no clue there was a men’s and
women’s division. I just looked at the Tournament Director
and said my wife was my partner. I’ll never forget the look
on his face as he asked me if I was sure. ‘Yes!’ I exclaimed.
It’s something my wife and I want to do together.” The
Kellys didn’t win a single match, yet
still managed to play on the losing
end of a 15-13 game. From that point
on Kory was officially hooked on
pickleball.
The following week Kory went to the
YMCA to join some other players. One
of those players, Jason Schefferstein,
was also recently introduced to the
sport and had become hooked as
well. Kory remembers, “We hit the court and immediately
I could tell we were going to be great friends. Neither of us
knew what we were doing, but we had a blast smashing
balls across the court at one another, ducking and
dodging, knocking rafters and walls. Most of our shots hit
something, or someone, but we didn’t care. It was the best
therapy of my life.”
Despite feeling better on the court, Kory was still
perfectly content not talking to anyone or going outside
his comfort zone. The idea of talking openly about his
struggles with PTSD had never entered Kory’s mind, but
now it was another challenge he needed to face. “For
years I felt PTSD was something I had to keep hidden so
no one would see it,” Kory says. “In my mind, PTSD was a
weakness.”
One wintery Saturday morning, after a few hours of
intense pickleball play, Jason and Kory were