How a Physical Education Teacher Became a Pickleball Pro: Kasandra Gehrke
When asked how she came to play pickleball on the Pickleball Fire podcast, Kasandra Gehrke said she had started playing it in high school. The equipment there was subpar, resulting in Kasandra being defeated in the game by seniors. That was what sparked the fire in her to improve her pickleball game. She was so furious that she went on to buy a new paddler from eBay the very next day. A couple of months later, Kasandra found herself playing in her first pickleball tournament.
Years later she quit her job as a physical education teacher for school kids in 2018 to become a professional pickleball player. Without any background in racket sports like tennis or badminton, Kasandra progressed from being a rookie to a professional pickleball player in only three years – from 2015 to 2018.
She did have a background in basketball, volleyball, and softball. Becoming a pro in pickleball was, therefore, even harder for her. She says that she has unorthodox ways of doing things because she did not have a background in racket sports. However, that was not the only challenge in playing pickleball for Kasandra.
When she started playing, she was 60 pounds heavier than she is now. A strenuous workout routine was also required to help her build the necessary stamina. Not only that, but Kasandra also fasted intermittently as it can be an easier way to lose weight than other diets for weight loss. Kasandra limited the time window to have all of her meals from 11 AM to 7 PM every day. That left 16 hours of a complete fast to promote weight loss, most of which she could spend sleeping.
Although Kasandra misses teaching middle and high school kids, she has similar experiences as a pickleball teacher. She is now teaching seniors who behave, as she says, much like middle school kids themselves.
For Kasandra, improving her pickleball game has been mostly about losing to players whose skill level was higher than hers. Unlike most other athletes, she didn’t let that hold her back or develop any negative feelings about the game. She feels that a real athlete is always willing to improve their game through these challenges.
Kasandra also met her future husband in a pickleball tournament. They make a great team and have played a lot of tournaments together. Like many other pickleball players, Kasandra’s personal life has also been affected positively by pickleball.
