SCOTT RIDER PLAYING PICKLEBALL RECENTLY NEAR HIS HOME IN BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA.“ I LOVE TO COMPETE. THEY DON’ T JUDGE ME BY MY SHAKE.”
In April, Selkirk-owned Pickleball Coaching International( PCI) and MUSC announced the launch of“ Pick It Up,” a specialized coaching certification program designed to train instructors on safely teaching pickleball to people with Parkinson’ s.
“ We wanted to be involved in this initiative because we recognize the profound impact the sport can have on the Parkinson’ s community,” says Mark Renneson, founder of PCI.“ By empowering coaches with the right tools, we are ensuring that more players can experience the benefits of the game safely and effectively.”
Coaches interested in enrolling in the Pick It Up course can check it out on Selkirk’ s website.
“ It is important to understand that depression is very common among people with Parkinson’ s because our brains don’ t produce enough dopamine,” Rider says.“ Dopamine helps facilitate movement in one’ s body but also helps with a person’ s sense of well-being.
“ The pickleball community is filled with very kind and supportive people, which makes it very easy to become a part of a community... a place to go where people are kind, making one want to return. Social interaction is incredibly helpful in the battle against Parkinson’ s.”
Rider currently plays pickleball three or four days a week and says his Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating( DUPR) is 2.7.“ I lose more often than I win,” he adds with a laugh.
But in some ways, including his newfound fun, friends and contributions to other players with Parkinson’ s, he has already won. •
Matthew Schwartz spent 40 years in television news and won more than 200 awards, including four Emmys and four Edward R. Murrow awards for investigative reporting. His 2020 memoir,“ Confessions of an Investigative Reporter,” was an Amazon # 1 bestseller. He writes a weekly blog for Hudef Sport and plays pickleball six days a week.
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MAY / JUNE 2026 | MAGAZINE 47