Ultimate Pickleball
Road Trip
This summer , Lorraine Rupper fulfilled her goal of playing at least one game of pickleball in all 50 states .
by MATTHEW SCHWARTZ
Alaska , July 2023
She played pickleball on an ice rink in Alaska and a wooden church floor in Hawaii . She dinked in Delaware , lobbed in Louisiana , sliced in South Dakota , and got pulled over in Wyoming .
Playing at least one game of pickleball in all 50 states had topped Lorraine Rupper ’ s bucket list for years . She fulfilled her goal , after a two-month adventure , on June 25 at 9:03 a . m . in Brunsdale Park , Fargo , North Dakota . It wasn ’ t easy but it was exhilarating , with many surprises along the way .
She drove alone to 45 states over the course of two months .
In only 19 days in June , she played at least one game in 36 states ! She put more than 8,000 miles on her 2014 Honda Civic and estimates the trip cost her at least $ 3,000 . Between 2020 and June of 2024 , she had played in the other 14 states , for a total of 50 !
“ The pickleball community is a welcoming one and I wanted to meet people who loved pickleball as much as I do ,” Lorraine says .
Lorraine started playing pickleball in 2014 at her local rec center in Orem , Utah . She had gone there to go jogging . “ I love sweets , but also like to stay thin , so I exercise . I heard noise coming from the gym and I said , ‘ What ’ s this ?’ A lady said , ‘ It ’ s pickleball — wanna play ?’”
She played and was immediately addicted .
Ten years later , Lorraine has a 5.0 DUPR and 200 medals and trophies from 250 tournaments .
The thought of playing at least one game in every state had been on Lorraine ’ s mind since 2016 . She took her paddle with her on family vacations , knocking out a few western states before the epic journey in June .
She estimates that on her trip across America she played 150 games and lost a grand total of … one .
“ I ’ m very competitive ,” she wrote in an email . “ In fact , I know I need to tone it down a bit .”
Her husband , Ron , a 3.5 player , accompanied her to only four states . “ He would be bored out of his mind because he doesn ’ t really play pickleball that much ,” Lorraine said . Besides , Ron had been to many states when he worked as a truck driver . Their son Devin , 25 , is a 5.0 and went with her only to Nevada .
“ I did get lonely ,” she admitted . “ I listened to a lot of murder mystery books along the way .”
Lorraine Rupper turned 59 in August and has lived in the same house in Orem for 33 years , the same number of years she and Ron have been married . They have three children . She ’ s a former math teacher turned middle school guidance counselor and traveled the country on an educator ’ s salary . No five-star hotels ( or even three or four stars ) or fancy restaurants were on her itinerary .
36 TO SUBSCRIBE , CALL 412.914.8294 OR GO TO PICKLEBALLMAGAZINE . COM