It’s been about six months since you last heard from us, and honestly, we’ve missed you! While our newsletter has been dormant, the Cleveland pickleball scene certainly hasn’t been! Courts are packed, the energy is high, and we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to bring you something special for our re-emergence.

Whether you’ve been with us since day one or you’re one of the many new faces joining our growing community, we are officially back in your inbox with some major announcements. Let’s dive in!

👋 A Note From Chief Pickleball Officer: Meet Esther

As we relaunch a revitalized newsletter, I wanted to take a moment to introduce (and reintroduce!) myself to both our longtime readers and the many new faces here.

I’m an engineer, a seasoned pickleball coach, PCI certified instructor, competitor, Tournament Director, and community leader with over 30 years of competitive racquet and multi-sports experience.   My passion is to grow the game of pickleball in Northeast Ohio!  I have been dreaming up new ways of growing pickleball by utilizing my engineering skills to engage an ever-growing list of newsletter subscribers and solve problems of pickleball players in our community.

As the #1 online destination of ALL things Pickleball in Northeast Ohio since 2021, ClevelandPickleball.com  leads the way to help grow the game of pickleball in our Northeast Ohio region, setting a new standard for up-to-date information on Tournaments, Leagues, Instruction, Places to Play and Pickleball news.

In fact, one of the biggest problems we see within our regional pickleball community is the number of our fellow players sidelined by injuries!  As I researched the statistics of the number of injuries related to pickleball, the numbers are overwhelming!  Some of my favorite pickleball social friends have been out of commission for various injuries… shoulders, knees, feet, back,etc…

As an instructor who has worked with hundreds of pickleball players, I noticed there are some disciplines missing with players, especially new players over the age of 50, in terms of a structured approach to playing pickleball.  This led me to launch a new initiative as www.SmartStart50Pickleball.com!  It's the First Structured Standard for 50+ Pickleball players, a research-based framework designed to help players over age 50 develop safer movement patterns, improve efficiency, and extend long-term participation in the sport.  Pickleball performance doesn't decline with age…it just needs a better strategy!  

Dedicated to players aged 50+, my focus with SmartStart50Pickleball is on developing structured standards, advancing skill development, and fostering safe, inclusive play environments. And via SmartStart50Pickleball, my goal is to emphasize injury prevention, movement efficiency, and mentorship—helping our local communities grow while ensuring lifelong engagement in the sport we all love. I am incredibly passionate about expanding our regional partnerships, and I love guiding facilities and ambassadors in implementing certified programs that beautifully bridge professional excellence with grassroots participation.  Our podcast series is getting ready to launch within the next few weeks and will soon become your new favorite weekly podcast. Our guest interviews, our Advisory Board, all compelling new information and oh, you don’t have to be over age 50 to get value from listening!  Let’s move SMARTER, let’s compete LONGER!

The last 6 months have been busy!  But wait, there’s more!  I’ll spill the beans on all these new ideas to hit the pickleball pavement, new courts being installed and keep reading to hear about how ClevelandPickleball is leading the way to get pickleball into High School sports in Ohio!

I'm so excited to step into this next chapter with all of you!