To Pickleball And Beyond
August 5, 2024
Vino and Ryan
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Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-From The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost
Okay, we’re talking pickleball paddles, not poetry. But a team of paddle reviewers is taking a road less traveled, a road other reviewers avoid.
The co-hosts of the YouTube podcast and website with the cool name of “To Pickleball and Beyond,” review paddles that haven’t necessarily created a buzz. Paddles that fly under the radar. They often review paddles from companies you never heard of. They review paddles they think pickleball players should know about. They are especially big on those that are reasonably priced, usually between $100 and $175.
Their reviews are geared towards pickleball players who don’t want to overspend and don’t care about having Ben’s or Anna Leigh’s signature on the paddle. They want to help players find the paddle that’s best for their style of play.
The co-hosts of “To Pickleball and Beyond,” Ryan Sweeney and Vino Raj, may not yet be household names outside their own households. Their channel began in January 2023, has produced nearly 130 videos and has 1220 subscribers. Not a lot of subscribers, yet. But “To Pickleball and Beyond” has created a loyal following that is growing daily.
The co-hosts are fascinating guys from diverse backgrounds.
Vino Raj, 41, grew up in the South Asia island country of civil war-torn Sri Lanka, “born right into the conflict,” he told me. “All my childhood was surrounded by the strife and turmoil that accompanied [the war].”
His father was a pastor and his work exposed young Vino to war camps. “That was instrumental in my decision to pursue a career in medicine,” he said. In his LikedIn profile Raj described his infancy, “as a young boy of four looking around that immediate surrounding of loss, pain, and suffering, deciding that he was going to change the world, change the world in healthcare.”
Raj became a doctor specializing in infectious diseases and is now the System Director of Research Analytics for a large, non-profit healthcare organization. He lives in Pine Island, Minnesota, with his wife, Stephanie and their three young children. He played cricket, badminton and tennis in high school. He started playing pickleball in 2018 and is a 4.25 player.
Ryan Sweeney graduated from college at 20 with a degree in computer engineering. He works as a firmware developer at IBM, lives in Rochester, Minnesota, and recently bought his first house at 23-years-old. He had no previous racquet sports experience when he began playing pickleball in 2021. He did do disc golf for eight years and ran cross-country in high school. He’s now a 4.5 rated pickleball player.
The guys met on a pickleball court (where else?) in Rochester, Minnesota. Raj says, “I haven’t met a more awesome character (leave alone a human being). We’ve been blessed with him walking into our lives.”
Sweeney says Raj, “works incredibly hard and long hours, every day, to be the best father he can be and help spread his love for the game of pickleball.”
Regarding them often being the first, and sometimes only reviewers to critique a paddle, Sweeney says, “We are different from other paddle reviewers because we are willing to try out any brand of paddles, and we put ourselves in the shoes of your average pickleball player looking to purchase a paddle. The vast majority of players will never play on the PPA tour or have the budget to purchase paddles that are $300.
“There are so many brands that make phenomenal paddles that perform just as well as products from Selkirk, JOOLA, etc., at a fraction of the cost.”
Raj says, “For us to have the opportunity to review lesser-known brands aligns with our philosophy of highlighting unique stories and offering a variety of paddles that cater to different needs. We prefer companies that design paddles for the everyday player rather than those targeting pros and then rebranding them at high prices.”
Sweeney and Raj credit Raj’s wife, Stephanie, with being the driving force behind “To Pickleball and Beyond.” She and Vino met in Russia where her father, like Vino’s, was a pastor. Vino says, “All credit for this has to go to Stephanie. We talked about it during a drive somewhere and she started formulating this.”
Stephanie shoots, edits and publishes all the videos and sets up some of the pickleball lessons the guys give and helps them organize tournaments. Stephanie says, “One of the main reasons why I choose to dedicate so much of my time to the YouTube channel is because I like helping the pickleball community learn about new gear, plus it feeds my creative spirit.”
Stephanie acknowledges she doesn’t play pickleball near Vino or Ryan’s level, so “This is the one way that I can contribute to this team, through my digital videography and editing skills. For me, knowing that I can help share this journey with the guys brings me joy and satisfaction despite the countless hours I spend staring at a screen.”
Vino says they make “zero” money from the podcast. “I hope one day we can figure that out and grow it. We have been adding codes to help people get discounts, but we’ve been very bad at even collecting on the back end.”
Unlike some reviewers, they are clearly not in it for the money, but for their love of pickleball.
The trio has specific goals for “To Pickleball and Beyond.”
Stephanie says, “Personally, I would like to see our channel and the quality of our channel grow. I have visions for this channel and ideas on how I would like to film future content and provide more of a cinematic experience for our audience. I also would love to see us have our own center (pickleball courts and paddle demo location) along with a studio for our recording and editing.”
Sweeney: “I want “To Pickleball and Beyond” to help out pickleball players in any way possible.” Sweeney has taught over 300 people how to play pickleball and says he wants to help grow the sport in his area and around the world. “It is my ultimate goal to help everyone learn more about the game and make more informed [choices] on their paddle decisions.”
Vino says, “We have been trying to do a giveaway on every video. That is where my heart has been. Yes, I can dream we can go viral and take what we get and do huge giveaways. Giveaways that can help full communities that can benefit in growing the community through pickleball.”
-If you saw even a little of Simone Biles’ gold medal performance during the Olympics gymnastics competition and weren’t awed, check your pulse.
-I watched a little Olympics badminton. The very first rally I saw consisted of 83 shots. Let’s just say those players had rather fast hands and reaction times.
-Speaking of the Olympics, every time I watch a USA men’s basketball game, I can’t help but think of one of the biggest travesties in sports history. The 1972 USA men’s basketball team was robbed of the gold medal in a 51-50 “loss” to the Soviet Union. The final three seconds were replayed three times, until the Russians could “win.” The US team refused to accept the silver medal.
-Speaking of travesties, it’s back to school time in some states and I think teachers remain vastly underpaid. On average, teachers made 26.4% less than other similarly educated professionals in 2022—the lowest level since 1960, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Don’t tell me about teachers getting summers off. They often work 50-hour weeks and must deal with out-of-control students and parents who think their kids are just angels all the time. In some school districts, teachers buy supplies the kids need but the district doesn’t provide.
-I love rock and roll but can’t get worked up about the Rock & Roll Hall Fame because the band America hasn’t been inducted. America had such hits as “A Horse With No Name,” “I Need You,” “Sister Golden Hair,” “Ventura Highway,” “Tin Man,” “Lonely People,” “Daisy Jane” and more. The band hasn’t even been nominated. What a joke.
-Haven’t you met pickleball players online but never in person yet feel as though you’re already friends? People who you would like to meet in person, have a few beers with and talk pickleball for hours on end? I’ve heard from hundreds of loyal readers of this column since I began writing it in January. Among them, I extend a shout-out and thank you to Barney, Quentin and Warren, to name just a few. Anyone, please feel free to email me comments, complaints or column ideas at mhs7386@gmail.com.
Hudef is giving away a new paddle to the first person who emails the correct answer to one question at the end of my first blog of every month. This month’s winner will receive the new Kevlar/carbon fiber Hudef Mage Pro Gen2 paddle, valued at $169.99.
This month’s question:
A paddle reviewer said this about the Hudef Mage Pro Gen2: “This is a crazy good paddle. I’ve had so much fun playing with it.”
Which one of the following reviewers said that?
A.John Kew
B.Chris Olson
C. Farmer Lanky
D.Braydon Unsicker
Email your answer to sales2@hudefsport.com. One entry per person. The winner will be contacted by email.