Family foursome ( l to r ):
Jorja Johnson , her dad Jack , who coaches in addition to playing , mom Julie , and brother JW . Photo by Bruce Yeung ;
IG : @ yeungphotography .
All in the
Family
The Johnson family may be pickleball ’ s newest triple threat . Mom Julie , son JW and daughter Jorja took gold in Senior Pro Singles , Men ’ s Pro Singles and Women ’ s Pro Singles respectively at the APP tournament in Boca Raton .
By Drew Wathey
The term “ Triple Crown ” has been used in baseball parlance since the inception of the game . Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers , with his American League-leading statistics for home runs , RBIs and batting average , earned the distinction in 2012 . Prior to that , Carl Yastrzemski , more affectionately known as “ Yaz ,” captivated the New England area throughout the summer of ’ 67 when he captured the Triple Crown while playing for the Boston Red Sox .
Fast-forward to another sport capturing the hearts and minds of all who encounter it . Pickleball and its legions of fans and players saw Jennifer Dawson win the Triple Crown at the 2021 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships by taking home gold medals in Senior Women ’ s Pro Singles , Pro Doubles and Pro Mixed Doubles .
Now , a family affair … The Johnsons of Boynton Beach , Florida , imprinted their names in the record books recently at an APP tournament in Boca Raton , Florida . Mom Julie won the Senior Pro Singles event , while her 19-year-old son , JW , won the top spot in Men ’ s Pro Singles . Not to be outdone , the youngest member of the Johnson clan , 15-year-old Jorja , stood atop the medal platform for Women ’ s Pro Singles . Husband / Dad Jack just started playing and coaching the sport after a knee replacement last summer .
The Johnsons ’ acceleration to pickleball ’ s elite took just four short years . “ We began playing pickleball when we first moved to Florida . When we moved from Kansas , we literally did not know anyone and it was something we could all go out and do together in the evenings ,” says Julie . “ So , the influence was mostly just spending time together as a family and making sure the kids were engaged and busy .”
The closeness the sport brings to the family is not lost on the kids either . “ We are definitely blessed to have found pickleball as such a new sport , and to be able to not only watch it grow and change but to be able to grow with it ; and to do that as a family makes it all the better ,” adds Jorja , who is a freshman at an online school and credits that flexibility for being able to develop her