Pasta, bread, rice, potato chips and crackers. Not an
ideal diet regimen, but the fallback option for Mandy
during her depressive state. The pounds kept piling on,
and her physical inactivity soon became a monumental
concern for her. She would oftentimes find herself
standing in front of a pantry eating a bag of chips
unconsciously.
Living in Woodland Hills, California, with her husband
and four daughters, a friend introduced Mandy to the
sport with that silly but infectious name. “My friend
told me about this new sport she had discovered and
encouraged me to go with her and try it out,” she recalls.
“She knew about my extensive tennis background
and thought I would enjoy pickleball. Pickle what? I
asked her.”
Feeling extremely self-conscious and nervous, Mandy
picked up a paddle at the Agoura Calabasas Community
Center and quickly her nerves turned to sheer
excitement. “Well, I walked in and was so welcomed,”
she says. “It was a lovely warm vibe, and people of all
different ages so welcoming. The minute I held that
paddle in my hand and started hitting wiffle balls, I knew
this was going to be my ticket to getting fit and healthy
and losing weight.
“I just didn’t want that first day to end, and to ever stop
playing. It felt incredible to be playing a sport again and
brought back so many great memories of the thrill and
excitement of my youth as a tennis player.”
Almost everyone who plays pickleball agrees that
the sport emits an atmosphere of friendliness and
camaraderie not often found on other playing fields
or courts. Mandy quickly realized this life-altering
characteristic. With pickleball now part of her weightloss
program, she was a constant fixture on the pickleball
courts.
“The very warm loving community played a huge part
in my journey,” she says. “The constant encouragement
from others and the positive reinforcement about how
rapidly my game was improving was so helpful. This
game is addictive. I just wanted to do it for many hours
every single day. Seeing myself getting fit, reaping all the
incredible benefits of exercise, and having the most fun,
loving every single minute of being on the court kept
me coming back for more.”
Soon after she started playing, Mandy realized that she
could be very competitive and was looking forward to
the day when she could take her game to the next level
and play in tournaments. But her weight kept her back.
“I was 100 pounds overweight and if I was ever going to
get really good at pickleball, I needed to be able to move
around the court much better and not be out of breath
all the time,” she explains. “I was more motivated than
ever to lose the weight, to not only get healthy and fit
but to be able to compete in tournaments. I wanted it
so badly.”
Mandy started playing three hours a day, seven days
a week. She had to be dragged off the court. “Pickleball,
one hundred percent, changed my life,” she says.
“I started incorporating a lifestyle and diet change.
Exercising that much every day was life-changing and
all with a smile on my face, loving every second, being
surrounded by the nicest and friendliest people.”
One of those people was her good friend Beth, with
whom she now plays doubles at many tournaments. Beth
herself has experienced tremendous loss and pain in her
life, so perhaps they both knew that their partnership
was designed to be a conduit for success.
“Together we have a mantra: Never Give Up! We build
each other up. We know, despite the hardships and pain
that we have both dealt with, that life is beautiful and
we have one shot at it and want to make the most of it.
We both care about helping others, making the world a
better place, encouraging kindness and love over hate,”
adds Mandy, now a USAPA Ambassador.
Since she began playing pickleball, in 519 days or a
little over 17 months, Mandy has lost an incredible 110
pounds. While her pursuits on the pickleball court are
never in question, so are her desires off the court as well.
“I want to keep getting better and better—as a person,
as a wife, as a mom and as a pickleball player,” she says.
“So many people have been inspired by my tremendous
weight-loss journey and pickleball adventures. I want to
keep inspiring, motivating and helping others on their
journey.”
As a USAPA Ambassador, Mandy strives to share
her love of the sport with as many people as possible,
encouraging, motivating and simply offering up her
story as a guide for those who need it. Pickleball and
Mandy Harnoy, a lifesaving combination that continues
to provide inspiration to so many, especially Mandy
herself.
“I crave sweet things from time to time,” she
acknowledges, “but the key is to learn that it’s OK to
have a square of chocolate. I taught myself in the past 17
months that you don’t have to eat the entire chocolate
bar. One tiny piece does the trick.” •
Drew Wathey is a contributor and author of “A Season With Hope.”
JUNE/JULY 2020 | MAGAZINE 59