PASSIONATE PICKLEBALLERS
Are You Passionate About Pickleball?
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A Perfect
Match!
We’ve often seen or heard fairytale
love stories of people around the
world. One such story is that of
professional pickleball players
KaSandra Gehrke and Jarrod Smith.
The couple recently got engaged
at the Scheel’s Tournament in
Springfield, IL. Jarrod proposed
during the Friday night exhibition
match, among friends and family.
Playing alongside KaSandra at the
exhibition were some of her closest
pickleball friends she had shared
the court with for years. The
proposal was live-streamed for
the entire pickleball world to see—
and the outpouring of love from
the pickleball community was
incredible. It was every pickleball
girl’s “dream come true.”
The couple met at the State
Games of America in Michigan in
2017. They shared a recreation
game together during the down
time at the tournament, but the love interest didn’t
spark until they met again at the MoKan tournament in St. Louis in early 2018. Jarrod lived
in Missouri and KaSandra in Wisconsin. The long-term relationship started as friends and, after months of
texts and phone conversations, KaSandra surprised Jarrod at his doorstep in Missouri after she flew back
from the US Open. The couple now resides in Springfield, MO, where Jarrod coaches the Drury University
tennis programs and KaSandra pursues her dreams of playing and teaching pickleball professionally year-
round.
For this doubles team, their life surrounding pickleball extends far off the court. We hope the story of
Jarrod and KaSandra will always bring a smile to your face and make you want to believe in true love—on
and off the court!
The couple plans to marry in October 2020 in Madison, WI.
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