By Justin Maloof
USA PICKLEBALL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
A Year of Reflection and a Look to the Future
While I had hoped this letter would
contain yet another successful Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships , the unfortunate events of this year require a much different year-end article . Following our most successful year ever , which included the addition of several new staff members and program launches , 2020 was certainly poised to be our best year yet . The first two months exceeded our expectations as we witnessed the two largest monthly membership gains in our history . March was also shaping up to be another incredible month , and then … the world stopped .
With COVID-19 spreading rapidly around the globe and throughout the U . S ., professional and amateur sports leagues and associations came to an unprecedented halt . Pickleball was not immune as courts were locked down , tournaments canceled , and state and local shelter-in-place mandates were enacted across the nation .
As I wrote back in April , the new term “ social distancing ” has had a tremendous impact on our players and our sport . One of the unique selling features of pickleball is the social aspect , which is attributed to being one of the driving factors of our growth and migration into mainstream culture . Eliminating or greatly reducing the social element creates a void for most players , which makes the eventual return to a normal society even more critical for our sport .
As we navigated through the challenging spring and summer months of lockdowns and safety measures , we were able to complete our rebrand campaign and in July announced our much-anticipated move from USAPA to USA Pickleball . In conjunction with the announcement , a new logo and professional website were also introduced . These objectives are key building blocks for our organization not only as we
position ourselves for a strong return to recreational and competitive play , but also as strategic pillars for our long-term success and Olympic aspirations .
As we close out this year and look ahead , I am also happy to report that following an exhaustive nationwide search , USA Pickleball recently announced the hire of Stu Upson as the organization ’ s first Chief Operating Officer . Stu has more
Stu Upson than 25 years of senior management experience , including most recently as the Chief Operating Officer of the International Tennis Hall of Fame since January 2015 . Prior to 2015 , Upson held multiple senior level positions , including Executive Director of the United States Bowling Congress , Senior Vice President ( SVP ) of Sales and Marketing at Skip Barber Racing , SVP of Sports and Entertainment Marketing at First USA Bank , and he began his sports and entertainment experience as Vice President of Business Development for Major League Baseball Properties .
As executive director , I have been amazed by the evolution of the sport over the past eight years . It has been an honor and blessing to play a role in that transformation . On behalf of myself and the existing team at USA Pickleball , we certainly look forward to working with Stu as we chart a new course and position the sport for decades of future success . On that note , I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and here ’ s to a fantastic 2021 ! •
DECEMBER 2020 | MAGAZINE 11