Ato Stephens has been there and done it all before but his love of pickleball keeps him coming back to the national championships in Bolton.
The 49-year-old from Nuneaton first picked up a paddle while visiting family in Canada and is yet to look back, having fallen in love with the sport at first hit.
And Stephens could not contain his delight after notching another competitive appearance at the 2024 Skechers English Nationals.
“It’s beautiful and so lovely to be here,” he said. “It’s been a great tournament and I think every year, we have a lot more people join in and the standard is getting higher and higher so it’s been good.
“I discovered pickleball through my sister Jocelyn, who lives in Canada. She invited me three years ago and I just fell in love with the game and I’ve been playing since then.
“I think it’s difficult to say what my favourite part is. You make so many friends, the people are very nice, and it sounds like a cliché but it’s so fun.
Pickleball for breakfast 🥐
— Pickleball England (@PickleballEng) November 1, 2024
It was great to welcome @mikebreakfast to Bolton for a taste of pickleball this morning.
Thank you for coming, @BBCBreakfast!#EnglishNationals pic.twitter.com/8eTOUeNNOP
“You just enjoy the game and try to improve all the time. It’s difficult to explain but it’s addictive.”
Pickleball is a racket sport which sees players compete using paddles and a perforated plastic ball.
The sport gets its name from its American founders, with the family game created in 1965 and named after their pet dog Pickle.
Played indoors and outdoors, it is a fast-growing sport across England and can be played by all ages and abilities, even on the same court.
Taking place from Thursday 31 October to Sunday 3 November at Bolton Arena, the English Nationals comprised four days of high-level competition, with a record number of 1,111 pickleball players competing in the North West.
He added: “I think it’s very important because it’s one of those sports that is very easy to learn how to play and you can have so many people from different ages, you can see from the courts, we have the youngsters, we’ve had over 75+ and it just has a wide range and it’s quite good.
That's a wrap 🔚
— Pickleball England (@PickleballEng) November 3, 2024
The final day of a special Skechers English Nationals.
Thank you for being a part of it ❤️#SkechersEnglishNationals | @SKECHERS_UK | @FranklinSports pic.twitter.com/WCpMytZgkM
“It’s an important sport and it’s good that it’s picking up in the UK.
“It’s just lovely to see. I’ve been here before and some of the people I played with last year are playing on a totally different level this year.
“You can see the exponential growth of the sport and this year we’ve had over a thousand people join in and that just shows you how it’s growing.
“It’s so lovely to have that.”
Pickleball England has announced a record number of over 1,000 players competing at the 2024 Skechers English Nationals. The tournament takes place from the 31st October – 3rd November at Bolton Arena and is the second largest national pickleball event. For more information, visit www.pickleballengland.org
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