USAPA Junior
SPOTLIGHT
NATHAN
F
TANG
ifteen-year-old Nathan Tang enjoys playing
pickleball with his friends, family, and other
players around the state of Arizona. His love
for pickleball began one summer when the
local tennis courts had been converted to pickleball. His
family decided to give this unique and interesting sport
a try and has never looked back. For the past three years,
pickleball has become Nathan’s primary passion.
Currently, Nathan is competing at the 4.5 level. His
goal is to be a 5.0 level player within the next two years,
and he is thankful to Selkirk Sport for providing him
with gear and apparel. Since he started competing
in tournaments, Nathan has won three medals at the
Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships
(gold, silver and bronze) and several medals at the Fall
Brawl, California State Games, and other tournaments
around the country.
For Nathan, the peak of competition was not winning
a medal but instead participating in the USAPA Juniors
Party that was held at Indian Wells. This event is a
highlight every year because he meets other junior
players from all over the country. He also gets to play fun
games with various pros from Sick Trx including Brian
Ashworth, Irina Tereschenko and Kyle Yates.
Nathan has volunteered extensively as an ambassador
for the sport and frequently assists with the pickleball
program at VICTORIUM in Scottsdale, Arizona,
which is run by his parents, Amy and Lester
Tang. In the summer of 2018, he was co-
instructor of a two-week summer camp for
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juniors who were new to the sport. Nathan also helped
direct two local tournaments and manage leagues for
beginners and intermediate players who are trying to
improve their game. This past fall, he was an instructor
for a fundraiser run by the nonprofit organization
Pickleball Incubator, which provides funding for
pickleball programs in schools. He has helped players
younger than 10 through older than 70 learn the
fundamentals of the sport.
Nathan is a sophomore at BASIS Scottsdale charter
school, a nationally top-ranked high school known for
its highly rigorous academic program. As he approaches
college, he hopes there will be a chance to join a college
pickleball team or create a team if one is not already
present. Nathan also hopes to see pickleball become
an Olympic sport, allowing both juniors and adults to
participate in the games.
Although pickleball is Nathan’s favorite sport now, he
grew up playing many other sports. Before pickleball,
he had placed in three National Chess Championships,
progressed to the State Championship in baseball, and
won many USTA Junior Tennis tournaments.
Over the years, Nathan has realized that while playing
with people of all ages is fun, playing with other junior
players is the most rewarding to him. Therefore, he
wishes to inspire more young players to become
passionate about pickleball. He hopes to be given
the opportunity to meet with juniors around
the country to help grow the sport and spread
the joy of pickleball. •