How A Pickleball Player Turned Injury Into Christmas Ornaments and Cheer

Tina Turner-Maloney loves to play pickleball. There's only one problem. For the last eight weeks, she's been unable to get on the court. She's nursing a knee injury which has firmly planted her on the sidelines of her favorite sport. However, during her hiatus from playing, she's managed to take her love of pickleball to a fun and festive new level- just in time for the holiday season.

First, I'll share this about Tina. When I say she loves pickleball, that's an understatement. Before her injury she was playing "six days a week, anywhere from three to seven hours a day." She has bagged gold and bronze medals in various competitions and admits, "I was devastated when I got injured."

But, that injury has led to a completely unique and unexpected way to cherish and promote the sport. Tina says, "I was moping around looking at my pickleball gear when I noticed I had a bag of cracked balls." Then it hit her- like the hooves of Santa's reindeer landing on a rooftop!  Tina noticed that pickleballs are about the same size as a standard Christmas tree ornament. In Tina's words, "If ya can't play, then paint!"

Get our free mobile app

And that's exactly what she started to do. Tina has been painting pickleballs as gifts for her local pickleball friends and plans to make some available as prizes at the holiday tournament coming up this weekend. Honestly, they make perfect ornaments.

Tina says, "The fun thing about pickleball is that it is everywhere. I've played in Canada, Costa Rica, and numerous states. It's such a fun game for all."

If you've ever seen a River City Pickleball Club tournament, you know she's spot on. There are a lot of pickleball athletes and fans here in western Kentucky and southern Indiana and their passion for the sport is contagious. Every day is a holiday for a pickleball player. And, now, with Tina's painted pickleball ornaments in the mix- those days are even more merry and bright.