The Entrepreneur Next Door 🏡

[60] The man who transformed #Pickleball Into A Thriving International Sport

Zev Asch

Can a sixty-five-year-old woman beat a 30-year-old man in #Pickleball? 

Meet Seymour Rifkind, one of the original Pickleball entrepreneurs. He shares the real, firsthand story behind the game's origin and why it's called Pickleball. Seymour's tireless efforts introduced the game to over fifty countries, and his early vision of what the game was lacking was a key factor in transforming Pickleball into a professional sport. Rif is a 5.0-rated player who has won medals in the US Open, regional, and national tournaments. He is also the President and Founding member of the World Pickleball Federation. 

Rif was an accidental pickleball player. His friends dragged him to play the game in The Villages in Florida, and he was hooked after just ten minutes. Rif shares his love for the game and his innovative vision for the future; he emphasizes the importance of proper training and coaching, which led him to form the first (and only one at that time) International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association (IPTPA). 

Takeaways

➡ The 'real' origin of the name Pickleball
➡ Can a sixty-five-year-old beat a 30-year-old athlete?
➡ Will the Pickleball boom surpass soccer?
➡ Who should pursue training and why
➡ Does the new generation of power paddles threaten the integrity of the game?
➡ Which group of new players will become the biggest one? 

Connect with Seymour:
https://iptpa.com

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