2023 USA PICKLEBALL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
From the Board Chairman
By Robert Quicksilver
USA PICKLEBALL BOARD CHAIRMAN
Bigger and Better in 2023
I
want to begin this column by wishing our USA Pickleball members and the entire pickleball community a healthy and happy New Year !
For USA Pickleball , 2022 was both amazing and record-breaking .
By the end of the year , USA Pickleball had grown to 68,697 members , representing a nearly 30 % increase over 2021 . We project that , by the end of 2023 , that number will rise to more than 90,000 members ! To put that into perspective , and as I remarked during the pro player gold medal ceremonies at the Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships in November , our organization had just over 10,000 members when I joined the Board of Directors four short years ago .
I doubt that any U . S . sport governing body has experienced that type of membership growth in such a short period of time . As we could not have accomplished that without you and our dedicated USA Pickleball staff , I want to again thank all our current members for their continued support and , of course , welcome our newest members to the USA Pickleball family .
Speaking of Nationals , the 2022 Championships was widely acknowledged to be the best ever , further solidifying it as the premier pickleball event in the world . With more than 5,500 spectators at Sunday ’ s pro finals , we established a new event attendance record for pickleball .
Not surprisingly , USA Pickleball ’ s growth coincides with the sport ’ s continued explosion , both in terms of player participation and facilities . As many of you know , pickleball was the fastest-growing sport in the U . S . for both 2021 and 2022 according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association . With so many new players entering the sport in 2022 , it would not surprise anyone if pickleball maintained this position for a third consecutive year .
And while there are still not enough pickleball courts to accommodate the exponential increase in the number of players , there is reason for optimism . In 2022 , a record 10,724 facilities registered with USA Pickleball . Equally promising , our internal data suggests that three new pickleball facilities — with an average of four courts per facility — open every day in the U . S .!
2023 promises to be another banner year for USA Pickleball . This includes launching the USA Pickleball Foundation in the early part of the year ( stay tuned for more details ). We will also continue to expand our youth and grants programs . Working with Franklin Sports , our official youth program development partner , we will provide pickleball starter kits to schools and camps . Finally , having recently restructured our nationwide ambassador program , USA Pickleball will deliver even more support and resources to local pickleball communities and enthusiasts throughout the U . S .
BOARD CHAIRMAN Robert Quicksilver
BOARD VICE CHAIR Suzanne Guerin
AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBERS
Philip Bullen Mark Fabbro Bob Franceschelli Ernie Medina Stephanie Russell
USA PICKLEBALL STAFF
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Stu Upson
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Justin Maloof
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Dan Ellsworth
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Chuck Menke
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF COMPETITION & SANCTIONING
Karen Parrish
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS
Hope Tolley
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP
Nikki Greene
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF OFFICIATING
Mark Peifer
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF EQUIPMENT STANDARDS & FACILITY DEVELOPMENT
Carl Schmits
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PRO PLAYER RELATIONS & EQUIPMENT COMPLIANCE
Donn Paben
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF FIELD OPERATIONS
Lance Cowart
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND CONTENT