Pro pickleball players coach kids at an Oro Valley afterschool program

ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — When pickleball enthusiast Frank Barletta started the Ready Set Pickle afterschool program at the Oro Valley Community Center, his goal was simply to grow the community.

But the weekly gatherings have turned into much more than just a casual hangout.

Once a week, Lorin “Lo” Schlecht and his wife Andrea Schlecht, two professionals on the Professional Pickleball Association tour, visit the community center to teach the kids skills, form and strategy.

“What is lacking in pickleball compared to tennis is coaching, and if we can impact these young kids in a positive way, that’s the greatest satisfaction we could possibly imagine,” Lorin Schlecht said.

That dedicated coaching is already paying off on the courts. The professionals noted that the young athletes are quickly absorbing the lessons.

“Some of the things that we mentioned the last time we were here, they’re already implementing them, and I did a serve tutorial and they’re already implementing that,” Schlecht said.

Barletta has also noticed the transformation in the kids’ demeanor, body language and genuine interest in wanting to get better.

“They work with each of the kids to make sure that they’re getting the most attention to executing on it,” Barletta said. “It’s eye-opening to see that happen.”

The players can feel the improvement too, including young players Jett and Lucas, who have been working on their serves.

“Hitting it a certain way helped me a lot, and he was like, that’s all you need to serve it perfect,” Lucas said.

It is not just about running through drills and lessons.

These young players even get the unique opportunity to compete directly against the professionals. However, the kids suspect the pros might be holding back just a bit.

“Some of those shots, he was going easy on us,” Jett said.

Today, these mini future pros were taught by the actual pros, and then they took the time to teach me how to play.

They even coached me to “go up to the kitchen” to make sure I was ready for the ball. While my pickleball career may be short-lived, theirs looks pretty bright.

“What’s important is that we’re developing the next generation of pickleball players,” Barletta said.

Ready Set Pickle will be hosting an End of School Year Tournament this Saturday May 2 at Oro Valley Community Center.