Amy Powell, right, formerly of Rochester, and her pickleball partner, Kathy Zuk, hold the Golden Ticket, which enables them to play in the 2024 USA Pickleball National Championships in November. They got the ticket by placing first in their bracket in December in the USA Pickleball Diamond Amateur Championships in Florida. Photo provided by Amy Powell.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

ROCHESTER — Amy Powell said getting to national competition for pickleball for the second year in a row is “rewarding.”

“It’s such a rewarding feeling because of all the hard work practicing and drilling,” said Powell. “The time and effort we put in six days a week most weeks shows the commitment we have for this amazing sport.”

Powell, originally from Rochester and now living in Plymouth, and her partner, Kathy Zuk, Columbia City, are headed to the 2024 USA Pickleball National Championships in November.

The two qualified by coming in first in their respective bracket at the USA Pickleball Great Lakes Diamond Regional Tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio, in July 2023.

That allowed the two to play in the USA Pickleball Diamond Amateur Championships in Holly Hill, Fla., in December 2023, where they again got first, getting the so-called “Golden Ticket” to the 2024 national competition.

Powell and Zuk placed third out of 42 teams in the 2023 national competition in November in Dallas, Texas.

The two have only played the sport, which involves using a Wiffle ball and paddles on small courts with nets, for two years, said Powell. She said she and Zuk also have only competed together for less than a year.

Honing their skills involves playing in multiple tournaments, though “not always together,” said Powell.

“We want to drill more and watch film from recreational play,” she said of her and Zuk’s preparation for the 2024 national competition.

Powell cited pickleball is a game for all ages, calling it “a great sport that allows you to compete as you get older.”

“I’ve seen players compete at the age of 9 up to 80,” she said. “Great exercise and the social aspect are other great attributes to this sport.”