A few years ago, I had a health scare that led me to challenge how I was taking care of myself. After going through a harrowing cancer experience, my family and I needed a fresh start. The health crisis had also reinforced the notion and personal reflection that I needed to do “some good” in this world, starting now. New city, new home, new outlook on life.
After months of therapy, I was in dreadful physical and mental shape. I’d always been a decent athlete but now I could barely walk 100 meters without being totally exhausted. But upon moving into our new home, I just “felt” the need to build a pickleball court. I guess to allow me the chance to once again play a racquet sport.
Following that “need”, we built the court, knowing little about the details of the game and its major noise issues. I met a local pickleball teaching pro to teach me the basics, I was immediately energized, and before long was hooked and we could play any time. His friends soon became my friends and that helped greatly in my mental healing. But very soon the #1 pickleball issue in the world reared its head with neighbors and the city started to complain vehemently about the NOISE. I felt really conflicted as my new life to do “some good” as I was creating a problem for my neighbors.
As there was and still is a serious lack of courts. I was certainly creating good for my new playing friends but at a serious cost to my neighbors and our local community.
This inner conflict, my entrepreneurial background and group of friends that had the engineering and technical expertise/resources led me to come up with what is now known as the “OWL”.
My story intersected with introduction to global sports marketing agencies like Intersport and the founders of the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) Tour. When we reviewed what we had with OWL Sport and our revolutionary patented technology their collective response was simple: We need to be involved and lets change the sport forever together!
