09/02/2026
Does bullying really exist in Pickleball?
My wife and I started playing pickleball because we agreed on a goal for 2026.
A goal to pursue a sport we can both enjoy.
A goal to be healthier.
And if God allows it, a goal to someday collect medals not for pride, but as milestones of faith, discipline, and perseverance.
Health-wise, this wasn’t an easy decision.
I have hypertension and I’m on the obese side.
My wife has hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and has been on medication for anxiety for more than two years.
So we played.
Open play after open play.
With friends. With new friends.
At first, every game felt joyful. Pickleball gave my wife something priceless happy hormones, excitement, laughter. We looked forward to playing every day.
Until one day.
We joined a DUPR game at a well-known court.
To be honest we didn’t even fully understand what DUPR was. We just wanted to experience it and see where we stood.
I was enjoying myself. I noticed some people laughing when I made errors, but I didn’t mind. I’ve been through competitive sports and combat sports errors are part of growth.
But after my wife’s third game, she called me and asked if I could request the admin to remove her from the list.
When I asked why, she said her last partner stared sharply at her every time she made a mistake. Didn’t even look at her after the game. Then while walking away, she overheard people talking about them and laughing.
When we got home, she told me she cried alone in the restroom.
That moment broke my heart.
It made me angry.
But more than that it reminded me I needed to choose wisdom over emotion.
So I prayed.
I asked God for strength, calmness, and guidance.
And instead of quitting, we chose to grow.
We invested in coaching.
We trained.
I encouraged her every game.
I reminded her why we started not to impress people, but to be healthy, joyful, and faithful.
Because the truth is every player started from the bottom.
Every skilled player once made the same mistakes.
Then we joined a Valentine’s tournament at our home court the place where we felt safe, accepted, and loved.
We told ourselves,
Just enjoy.
And by God’s grace, we won our first medal.
Yes, it’s bronze but to us, it means confidence restored, joy reclaimed, and faith rewarded.
We’re not great yet.
We still make mistakes.
But we will play, learn, grow and keep showing up.
Thank you to our home court for being a family.
And above all thank You, Lord, for reminding us that our worth is not measured by ratings, medals, or opinions, but by grace.
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV)
Let’s keep pickleball a place of joy, humility, and encouragement especially for beginners.
