One Stop Shopping for Rec Players
May 29, 2025
There are hundreds of pickleball apps for recreational players but the founder of a new one says it will be the only app they will need.
The Recreational Pickleball Players Association unveiled last month what founder Elena Saris calls “The first ever app specifically designed for pickleball’s passionate majority who form the heart and soul of America’s fastest-growing sport.”
In other words, the RPPA’s app is all about helping recreational players.
It has been estimated by many top pickleball instructors that 75 to 80 percent of all those playing the sport are rec players. Most never enter tournaments and couldn’t care less about winning medals. Many certainly are competitive but most play because they love the sport and the health and social benefits.
Saris told me the app “is a one-stop hub for all things pickleball: learning, playing, connecting, shopping and traveling.”
The RPPA has two membership tiers but most of its benefits are free. Benefits include travel discounts; you can create and customize groups for plays sessions and social gatherings; connect directly with fellow players; access a comprehensive court finder; post comments in what Saris calls “A troll-free, judgment-free forum,” and a marketplace in which you can access special deals and discounts on all things pickleball through an extensive vendor directory.
The RPPA also has a membership plan that costs $25 per year and includes videos on pickleball instruction, strategies and injury prevention. Members can request specific coaching videos tailored to their needs.
Travel discounts are a major part of what RPPA is offering.
“Our exclusive online travel agency, ‘RPPA Travel,’ allows users to get incredible deals on hotels, flights and car rentals, up to 50 percent off,” Saris claims.
The app has a members directory which allows players to message each other directly, create groups and post details of events, as well as search a calendar for both local and national events, including tournaments, for players who are into them. Other apps have some of these features but Saris believes the RPPA app is the first with all these features, in addition to the travel discounts and instructional videos.
Saris has an interesting background. The 58-year-old Pasadena, California, resident was a criminal defense attorney for 30 years. She founded three e-commerce stores and mentored others in that area, and she even did standup comedy. She says she is a 3.5 pickleball player and tries to play three or four times a week.
The Recreation Pickleball Players Association also has a Facebook page if you’re interested in joining the group or just learning more about it.
“We welcome all picklers who believe this game is so much more than just a sport,” Saris says. “We celebrate everyday players and the communities around them that believe in the pickleball lifestyle. Community is connection and now we can connect communities.”
Thoughts of the week, not all pickleball
· I am not waiting with bated breath to see what NFL team Aaron Rogers signs with. I think he’s a diva and is kind of shot as a consistently effective quarterback. Of course he’s a first ballot hall of famer but I think his best days are long over.
· It can’t be fun to be a Colorado Rockies fan now. The Rockies are having a historically bad season and will probably have the worst record in modern MLB history, eclipsing the White Sox mark last year of 41-121. The Rockies record after Tuesday night’s loss was 9-46. They continue to get good crowds because they’re a regional team, drawing fans from several states besides Colorado, and Coors Field is a nice venue. But it will be interesting to see how large the crowds will be in July when the team is 40 games out of a playoff spot.
· The retired, long-time sports play-by-play man Steve Albert, younger brother of Marv, has a wonderful new book out called, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Broadcast Booth. I highly recommend it. Steve is a former colleague of mine from Channel 9 News in New York and one of the funniest people I’ve ever known. He is not at all technically savvy and about 30 years ago when he got a new VCR, he told me it was, “A very expensive clock. I can’t get it to stop flashing 12:00.”
· The great pickleball instructor Richard Movsessian, better known as Coach Mo, says you should try to play against those a half-point better than you as often as possible. Playing with and against those much worse won’t help you improve. There’s an old saying in sports: “You play down to your competition’s level.” You can also play up to their level, and should try to as often as possible.
· The Four Seasons on Netflix is a terrific series. Something actually for adults! No superheroes or space-age effects, just real-life dialogue and wonderful acting. Eight episodes comprise season one in this comedy-drama about the decades long friendship between three married couples. The series stars Tina Fey, Steve Carell and Will Forte. It’s a modern-day version of the great 1981 film of the same name that was written and directed by and starred Alan Alda. In a nice touch, the 89-year-old Alda has a cameo in the new version. Netflix has announced there will be a second season.
· When you feel a muscle twinge before playing pickleball, don’t play. Otherwise you might do what I did on Saturday. Felt a twinge in my right calf while exiting the court after my 2nd game of the morning. I should have gone home and iced it. Fifteen minutes later it was my turn to play again. Not halfway through the game the twinge became a stabbing pain, liked I had been kicked in the calf, so I had to quit. I stretched before playing but I’m 71. Not too old to learn a lesson: if you feel even minor pain, stop playing immediately. It’s rec play for gosh sakes.
Remember, if you buy any Hudef paddle that costs $169.99, use my discount code MS30 to knock down the price by 30%, to $119.99. Any less expensive paddle, the code is MS15, giving you 15% off.