Pickleball Magazine 4-4 | Page 56

E T A M I T THE UL ICKLEBALL KIDS P r o i n u J A P A US t h g i l t Spo B eing an only child, 17-year- old LeEllen Lane was first attracted to the sport of pickleball because of its unique tight-knit community. Unlike others, the fuel for her pickleball passion was ignited by the desire to reunite with her pickleball family, rather than seeking tougher competition. She has developed family-like friendships with those near and far from her home in Nashville, Tennessee. A highlight event for LeEllen is the Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships where she first began playing in 2014. She has medaled in each event since then. Collecting over 85 medals in her pickleball career and earning three national titles, her future looks bright indeed. LeEllen is sponsored by Paddletek and is proud to represent the company in each tournament she plays in at the 4.5 level. She was recently certified as one of the youngest instructors in the world through the International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association and proudly holds the title of Pickleball Rocks Club Director. “LeEllen is one of those rare individuals that everybody likes. She just seems to bring joy to everyone she meets, and we love having her lead the Pickleball Rocks Club. We couldn’t have found a more fitting player for the job,” said Rodney Grubbs, Pickleball Rocks Clothing & Equipment Company President. Away from the pickleball courts, LeEllen is on her way to being fluent in Spanish, enjoys babysitting, and loves to spend time with her dog, Punkin. She has a very close relationship with her parents, Andy and Stephanie Lane, and enjoys traveling to tournaments and teaching clinics with her mom throughout the country. LeEllen also loves to attend mission trips and exercise her faith in Jesus in many outreach opportunities. www.usapajuniors.org 54 TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 888.308.3720 OR GO TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM She plans to attend college at Lipscomb University, where she hopes to major in business and minor in Spanish. And, of course, she’ll continue playing the sport she loves, with her immediate goals being reaching the 5.0 level, teaching the game in other countries and introducing pickleball to more and more juniors.