Mary’s 2026 Pickleball Resolutions

Happy New Year!

I am leaving 2025 full of gratitude. Life is good. I never would have thought I would be playing professional pickleball out of college. But here I am almost 6 years later. Pickleball has changed my life in such a positive way. 

I was already close with my family, but during Covid and post-Covid, pickleball has allowed us to have an activity we all enjoy doing together. My parents are the most caring and supportive people. I am so thankful for them. My dad has coached me in soccer, softball, tennis, golf & today he gets to coach Maggie and me in pickleball. And now we are business partners! My mom is the best. She is so supportive & I appreciate having my mom on the road with us. It is calming to have your mom on the sidelines during big competition moments. We just got to play some family pickleball during Christmas, and our youngest sister Molly is a stud! Watch out because she might be in your tournament bracket after she graduates.

This year we traveled to Palm Springs, Tucson, Mesa, Dallas, St. George, Raleigh, Atlanta, Bristol, Vegas, Cincinnati, Sacramento, Dallas, Lakeland and had a tourney in our backyard at Life Time San Clemente. Lots of tour stops – so many amazing memories on and off the court. It was nice have Nick and my boyfriend, Zach on the road with us for most tournaments this year too!

With lots of tournament travel, it is hard to be disciplined and eat healthy on the road. After a long tournament day, it is easy to grab takeout and rush to the hotel room so you can get some sleep before the events of the next day. However in 2026, I want to be more intentional with how I am eating on the road! That is why my first 2026 resolution is to eat more whole foods – that’s right I am doing Whole 30 again. I did this challenge last year, and boy did it make a difference in how I felt on the court! I did not do this for appearance, more for how I felt on the inside. Less inflamed and more energy. I recommend trying a challenge like this in the new year – it’s nice to cleanse our bodies from all of the holiday meals & feel good on the pickleball court!

My second resolution is to become more of a student of the game! I compete week after week against the best in the world. There is a lot of losing that happens. When Anna Leigh is in the bracket, it’s pretty tough to claim that title spot. While there are a lot of things we can’t control in a pickleball match, we can control how hard we work on the practice court to improve our game. Watching film of your matches is a fantastic way to improve your pickleball game. I will be making a point to watch matches I win AND LOSE in 2026! Emphasis on the lose part, it can sting to watch matches we lose. But that is how I will get better. Let’s all strive to record our matches and watch them back with a critical eye! 

Those are a couple of my 2026 resolutions. I love goal-setting. I challenge you to set some pickleball goals in the new year! Whether it is chasing your dreams of playing on the tour or picking up pickleball as a new hobby this year…pickleball is life-changing, and I pray you get lots of fun pickleball in during 2026 & spread that joy to your friends and family. 

Maggie and I have extended our tour contract through 2028. We are grateful to be able to compete on the PPA Tour, and we are grateful for your support! 2026 is about to be a year of learning, growth and FUN Pickleball!