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t’s no secret that the sport of pickleball has raised
the stream of consciousness in this country to
new heights. What was once the game with a silly
name has now evolved into a full-fledged sport,
with amateurs and pros alike dominating time on
courts throughout all 50 states. The recently completed
Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships
realized considerable gains in the number of
participants, sponsorship dollars, purse for the
professional players and spectator awareness. The old
adage “The sky’s the limit” is an appropriate motto for
the sport that came to be on a makeshift backyard court
on Bainbridge Island, outside of Seattle, Washington.
The one common thread since its infancy has been
the outreach focus of many participants who view the
sport with an undeniable passion. More recently, it has
been the leadership and forward thinking of the United
States Pickleball Association’s (USAPA) Ambassadors.
Established to be the direct conduit from the governing
body of the sport to the interested participant or
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volunteer,
the Ambassador Program has now blossomed into a well-
oiled machine that numbers nearly 2,000 pickleballers
across the country.
The USAPA is divided into 11 regions in the U.S.
covering all 50 states. “We look to recruit Ambassadors
with great enthusiasm for the sport, but it’s not necessary
to be a tournament player,” said Claudia Fontana,
Director of Ambassadors for the USAPA. “An ambassador
should have the basic knowledge of the game and be able
to share that excitement, and be willing to volunteer
their time to help promote the USAPA organization and
of course teach the game of pickleball to their local, and
in some cases surrounding, communities. They should
have good communication skills with those they deal
with, from other local Ambassadors to their District
Leaders, and are willing to share opportunities with
other local governments, clubs or organizations.”