How Kathy Pederson Went from Pickleball Player to Certified Adaptive Pickleball Instructor
Kathy Pederson has a solid background in tennis, from which she stepped into pickleball around eight years ago. She had been a Motor Development Specialist in Las Vegas for 30 years as a tennis coach and a wheelchair tennis coach. After retiring from that job, she moved to Park City, where she encountered a pickleball clinic just as she was completing the nationals in tennis.
On the Pickleball Fire podcast, Kathy described that she gravitated to the court because of an unusual sound. She was so mesmerized that she put down her racket and stepped onto that court where she saw senior professional Scott Moore giving a clinic. She immediately picked up a paddle and attempted to strike the ball.
Her first attempt was not very successful as she missed the ball several times, but she had resolved to learn how to play pickleball right then and there. She looked at Scott and Daniel Moore and told them that they would not leave the court until she could perform this activity – such was her enthusiasm. They looked at her and laughed before they spent a good half hour teaching her.
Kathy fell in love with the game right then and there. As she was leaving with her tennis bag, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Kathy turned to find a pickleball paddle staring at her as they both said, we’ll see you at the nationals next year. Since then, she never picked up a tennis racket again.
Like Scott Moore had predicted, Kathy was at the nationals the next year and won a bronze medal. She played a few more tournaments, but eventually, that wasn’t the path she chose for herself. She wanted to go down the road of teaching to promote pickleball and help newer players master it.
She had been a teacher for over 30 years already, so it came naturally to her. She considers pickleball a skill that is much easier to gain compared to other sports. Disabled people can learn it and play it as well, and it is not as harsh physically as tennis or other sports.
