“Our Ambassadors
come in contact with
so many people on a
daily basis. Who doesn’t
love to talk about
the sport? Without
our Ambassadors we
wouldn’t be where
we are today.”
There are many facets to the role
of being a USAPA Ambassador but
according to Fontana, the common
denominator has always been the
social aspect of pickleball.
“There are so many ways that our
ambassadors share and promote
the USAPA and pickleball,” she
explained, “from the handshakes
on the court, to pickleball parties
and the inviting enthusiasm that
an Ambassador displays, which
continue to bring the curious
onlooker off the couch to the playing
court. Our biggest population of
players is the local recreational
player, who is not playing for a medal but to be out on the
court for what pickleball is known for, the socialization.
We truly believe that pickleball is bringing communities
together like no other sport is, or has done in decades.
People who never played a sport in their lives are coming
because they are socializing and creating ‘Pickleball
Communities.’ It’s amazing how it works, and we continue
to hear it, time after time.”
CJ Jermstad, now a USAPA Vice Chairman, led the
Ambassador charge for the organization for many
years and continues to this day to be one of the more
recognizable faces in the sport. Starting out as a local
Ambassador in Grand Haven, Michigan, Jermstad—who
never met a day she didn’t like—quickly became the Great
Lakes Regional Director, followed by her appointment on
the USAPA Board of Directors as Ambassadors Chair. She
has seen firsthand how pickleball can touch the hearts of
its players, some after just one game.
“I once had a conversation with a gentleman in a
rural community. He explained to me he was a dairy
farmer and had learned the game while on vacation,”
recalled Jermstad. “He wanted to introduce pickleball
to others in his community, so we discussed ways for
him to grow the sport in his area. He had marked off
one court at a nearby church and invited a few people in
his community to join him so he could show them how to
play. He called me a month later saying he had outgrown
the church and was trying to find creative ways to have
more playing time. He had so many people wanting
to play.”
From a church parking lot to an abandoned concrete
pad where basketballs once bounced, pickleball is
gaining considerable momentum, thanks largely
in part to the loyal work of its ambassadors. “As a
volunteer organization we depend on the people who
give of themselves. We continue to work to inspire,
educate and encourage our Ambassadors to be positive
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and renew their commitment to why
they became Ambassadors for the
USAPA,” said Fontana. “We continually
gather information from them to
find out what they do in their neck of
the woods. We have implemented an
annual survey that helps us gather that
information so we can determine what
is working and what the challenges
are around the nation. This important
information will continue to help us
grow and learn as an organization.”
“Our Ambassadors come in contact
with so many people on a daily basis.
Who doesn’t love to talk about the
sport? Without our Ambassadors we
wouldn’t be where we are today,” added Jermstad.
Fontana concurs: “We don’t have actual numbers, but
I know that every one of our pioneer Ambassadors to the
current corps has each touched hundreds of players, if
not more. The web of extension is so incomprehensible
to me. Logic tells us that if one Ambassador invites two
people to the courts, those two players invite two or
more players and so on and so on—the legs of growth
are almost countless. Directly or not, it was most likely
an Ambassador who started the pickleball excitement
rolling.”
And the excitement surrounding the sport continues
to roll on. The USAPA receives more than 30 applicants a
month seeking to become an Ambassador. “All you need to
do is fill out an application online. Simple and easy,” said
Jermstad. Not all individuals can be placed due to existing
Ambassadors in their area, but the organization works to
place qualified people in areas that are in need. Fontana
added, “Now with our new USAPA Recreation Program,
which is helping develop youth, college and recreational
programs, local Ambassadors will have even more tools to
help promote and share with the communities and clubs
they work with.”
Coinciding with the continual growth of the USAPA
Ambassador Program is the meteoric rise in participatory
numbers in pickleball. Where does Fontana see the
next wave in the sport’s popularity? “Our next level of
growth, as we are already starting to see, is in the youth
programs—working hand in hand with our Recreation
Department and getting the sport into more schools
and intramural programs at all education levels.
From the schoolyard playground, to Parks and Rec
summer programs, to the ever-growing adult clubs and
nonprofit organizations around the country, I don’t see
it slowing down; if anything, it’s speeding up and we are
working to stay ahead of the growth.” •