MY PICKLEBALL STORY
Polly with Tyson McGuffin
and her sister, Tasha.
My
I’
Pickleball
Story
BY POLLY VAN DER LINDE
34
m fairly new to pickleball—only 14 months. I’d never
played a paddle sport before and was pretty horrible
when I started. The only thing that kept me going was
surprising my mom and her partner, who live in The
Villages, FL, for Christmas about two months after the start
of my game. I kept the secret until I arrived to play with them.
They were stunned to learn I was doing something so out of my
comfort zone.
My local pickleball club in Bennington, VT, only practiced once
a week, which wasn’t enough for me as I’m a trained concert
pianist and know what it takes to get better—daily practice
and drills. So I found space in an old mill and rented it. I had to
remove the tape on the floor each day so others using the court
didn’t trip on it. I’ve never done so many squats in my life!
When the space became available, I decided to own the lease
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