When people ask about my hobbies, I say golf, learning languages, and travel. I take these seriously to improve. My golf improvement is based on how many balls I lose each round and if native speakers understand me well, it shows my language skills have improved. For travel, if I spend less and have more fun, that means I’ve improved too!
Recently, I started playing Pickleball and really enjoy it. I play for 2-3 hours a day with my fun friends. I pick it up quickly because I used to play Table Tennis and Badminton, but I’m still not very skilled. I took lessons from two coaches. The first one taught me the basics for beginners, and the second one showed me some techniques. In total, I had 35 hours of lessons from both coaches, which isn’t a lot, so I definitely need more.
I started playing Pickleball 4 months ago and met many wonderful people. We shared laughs and joy that made the game more fun. I live in Phuket, Thailand, which is a small island. Not many Thai people play Pickleball here; most players are foreigners who reside here. About a month ago, Jason, one of the players in our community contacted me to see if I would like to be the captain of a Pickleball team for the first Pickleball Challenge in Phuket. I was surprised to hear that as we did not know each other for long, but I accepted the offer because I thought it would be fun! Moreover, it looks like Jason is trying to build a positive community and supports others in starting to play Pickleball. This is a great idea, and I always want to help others and make a difference. Let’s get fit and enjoy this rapidly growing sport.
We opened the challenge for player registration and around 50 players wanted to join. There were 4 teams, each with about 10 members, because some couldn’t make it. Each team captain then had to select their team members based on each player’s ranking in such a way that each team would be of an equal standard. Here are the 4 teams of the first Pickleball Challenge in Phuket.
The event was on 9th May 2025 at Shark Bites in Rawai, Phuket. Shark Bites has a swimming pool, bar and restaurant, and 2 pickleball courts. It offers a great atmosphere where you can enjoy food and drinks while your children swim and play. Although there are many pickleball courts in Phuket, I found this one to be the most relaxing and friendly.
The competition used rally scoring. Players need 15 points to win, with no deuce. Each rally begins with a serve. If the serving team’s points are even (0, 2, 4…), the right-side partner serves. If odd (1, 3, 5…), the left-side partner serves. Every rally earns a point, regardless of who served. We made it more enjoyable by playing singles as a group. Each player played 3 points until one reached 21 points to win.
Game on! Scorpion VS Kitchen Police
Game on! Super Angels VS Dinking Buddies
The collection of Scorpion team and supporter photos.
The event ended with laughter and joy. Our first Pickleball Challenge in Phuket was a success. Being captain of team Scorpion was really fun. I enjoyed working with all the captains and my team members, who all had different personalities, abilities, and ages, but we shared one thing in common: having fun!
I encourage everyone to try Pickleball because it’s a sport for all ages and easier to play than many other sports. For beginners, keep practicing, and if you want to improve, consider taking lessons from a professional coach. You’ll notice a big difference and have more fun as you improve. And for all players, be kind to each other, no matter how good you are at playing Pickleball. People will remember one thing, how you treat them, so treat everyone with respect and kindness. Life is fleeting, and our interactions define us.
Lastly, this may seem like a travel blog, but I want to share my experiences with pickleball. Playing pickleball is a new journey for me, similar to traveling to new places. I believe I will enjoy it and hope to help others enjoy the game as well.
Let’s see how my ball continue to travel through the air and where it might take me.
Pim Never Stops 