From Meeting Minutes to Mixed Doubles: The Unfiltered Origin of Paddle Up
If you had told me in early 2018 that I would eventually trade my networking event high heels for court shoes and a paddle, I probably would have laughed, checked my color-coded calendar, and scurried off to my next school board meeting.
Back then, "pickleball" was just a word my husband, Craig, kept tossing around. He’d seen it, heard about it, and was clearly intrigued. But me? I was the queen of the "busy trap." Between work meetings and community events, I didn't have time for a sport with a name that sounded like a snack tray at a backyard BBQ.
Looking back, we lost a whole year of playing the game we now live and breathe. (Note to self: Craig is actually right once in a while. Don't tell him I said that.)
The Wednesday That Changed Everything
Fast forward to a warm summer Wednesday night in 2019. Craig caught me in a rare moment of stillness and said, "We have nothing going on tonight. Let’s go to Riverside Park in Janesville. They’re doing beginner lessons."
I finally said yes. We picked up those paddles, and well... it was over for us. Passion? Obsession? Addiction? Pick your favorite noun; we were all in.
The Battle of the Serve (Or: Why Racket Sports Experience is Overrated)
Now, here is where it gets a little spicy.
Craig and I are "athletic" people. He played collegiate football and has a tennis background. I played basketball and volleyball through college intramurals. But when we used to play tennis together, I couldn't hit an overhead serve to save my life. It was embarrassing, frankly.
But the moment we stepped onto a pickleball court, the tables turned - and oh, how the turn-tables!
In pickleball, the serve is underhand. For me? Easiest thing in the world. For Craig? The "tennis pro"? He couldn’t get a legal serve in to save his life. The man was spiraling. Being the sports analyst he is, he spent an entire week deep-diving into the dark web of pickleball YouTube and social media, researching "legal" underhand serves.
He eventually emerged from his cave with a very unique, very legal, and very "unseen" serve that most players in 2019 hadn't encountered. It paid off, but I still like to remind him that my lack of racket sports baggage was actually my superpower. Sometimes, starting with a clean slate is the best way to "Paddle Up."
The "Addiction" Phase
From 2019 on, we didn't just play; we evolved. We stopped watching sitcoms and started watching pro pickleball tournaments. Our kids would walk into the living room, see the pro circuit on the screen, roll their eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck, and walk right back out.
We became those people. You know the ones.
We started traveling - Chicago, St. George, Cincinnati, Kansas City - not just to watch the pros, but to compete in the amateur divisions. We’ve brought home our fair share of gold medals in mixed doubles, and honestly, there is nothing quite like the "rally" of life you experience when you're competing alongside your partner.
Full Circle: From Player to Founder
By 2025, our love for the game had grown so much that we wanted to give back to the community that welcomed us. We both became credentialed USA Pickleball referees, because if you're going to be obsessed, you might as well be “official” about it.
In October 2025, I finally took everything I learned on the court - the connection, the strategy, the resilience, and yes, the sass - and launched Paddle Up Solutions.
My mission is simple: I want to help you rally, connect, and grow. Whether you’re a beginner at a local park searching to advance your pickleball skill development or a business leader looking to improve communication and connection through a team-building experience, I’m here to help you navigate with more confidence and a lot more fun using the game of pickleball.
So, are you ready to get on the court? Just be warned: once you start, you might find yourself watching pro matches at 10 PM while your kids judge you from the hallway. Don’t say I didn't warn you!
See you at the kitchen,
Lisa
Founder & CEO, Paddle Up Solutions