If you have been hearing the steady pop of a plastic ball against a graphite paddle lately, you’re not alone. Pickleball has moved into your neighborhood as well as neighborhoods across Arizona, and it’s gaining in popularity fast.
According to Ryan Trefry, pickleball director at Red Mountain Ranch Country Club, baby boomers have been primarily responsible for the growth of pickleball. Now Ryan sees the sport shifting toward junior players, and he is excited about the possibilities that come with this shift.
“My goal is to spread the love for pickleball,” Ryan said. “As the program director for Red Mountain Ranch Country Club, hopefully I have been able to reach a lot of people and make their lives better because of pickleball.”
“The typical player has been 60-plus,” he explained. “But I think the juniors have been neglected a little bit. Someone needs to take it by the horns and focus on it and grow it. The future of sports as well as of our country and the world is with the juniors.”
Ryan, who played in tennis tournaments at the age of 10 and who later became an All-American tennis player at Pierce College in Los Angeles, first learned about pickleball from his father.
“My father was a USAPA ambassador in Anthem,” he said. “He kept talking about this funny game called pickleball. My parents were visiting one weekend and we played at Duck Pond courts in Simi Valley, Calif. with two of my tennis friends. I immediately fell in love with it.”
Ryan is a 5.0 pickleball professional and has accumulated more than 100 competition medals over the past four-plus years. His proudest accomplishment is winning the bronze medal with Dayne Gingrich at the 5.0 35+ USAPA Nationals held at Indian Wells in 2019.
Ryan is the current Anthem ambassador for USA Pickleball and helps run tournaments for National Pickleball. He currently offers adult clinics and leagues for all levels of players on Mondays and Thursdays at Red Mountain Ranch Country Club.
As a way to generate excitement for his new junior pickleball program at RMRCC, Ryan will be offering a free K-12 Junior Clinic at RMRCC this spring. Parents can choose one of the following dates — March 22, 25, 29 or April 1 — to sign up their child. The free clinic signup can be found at RMRCCPickleball.info.
In addition, parents interested in future junior lessons, clinics, or tournaments can fill out a Pickleball for Juniors questionnaire at the same RMRCCPickleball.info link.
For more information, call or text (623) 444-0987, or email TrefPickleball@gmail.com.