Season 26, Episode 17
There's a Nine-Year-Old Elephant on Your Tennis Courts
Shaun Boyce & Bobby Schindler with Dr. Rommie Maxey
Summary
Dr. Rommie Maxey didn't set out to become a pickleball entrepreneur. The sport found him — and he ran with it. Six-time national champion, co-owner of the Houston Hammers, trainer to 14,000 players across five continents, and now a member of the ARA National Advisory Board, Dr. Maxey joins Shaun and Bobby to talk about where pickleball actually is right now: the demographics shift nobody expected, why Houston went from 1 to 42 indoor facilities in four years, what the VAIR rating system changes, and why pickleball is basically a nine-year-old who just walked into a room full of adults and refused to leave.
Dr. Maxey recently joined the National Advisory Board of the American Racket Sports Association — the national organization uniting tennis, pickleball, and padel professionals. Learn more at americanracketsportsassociation.com.
Key Topics
- Dr. Maxey's path from collegiate athlete to pickleball influencer and entrepreneurThe demographic surprise: average pickleball player age is now 34 and droppingGlobal expansion — Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and why badminton culture fuels itHouston's indoor pickleball boom: 1 facility to 42 in four yearsClub conversions, court-sharing, and the monetization reality for facilitiesThe VAIR rating system: recreational vs. certified ratings and why it mattersPickleball as "a nine-year-old" — what that means for the industry's future
Keywords
Pickleball, Dr. Rommie Maxey, Houston Hammers, VAIR Rating System, Pickleball Growth, Indoor Pickleball, Tennis to Pickleball, Racket Sports Industry, Entrepreneurship, Global Pickleball, ARA, American Racket Sports Association
Sound Bites
- "Pickleball found me.""Houston went from one indoor facility to 42 in four years.""Pickleball is basically a nine-year-old — it doesn't even know what it is yet."
Full YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/7aFSqMzkoxQ
Dr. Maxey's King of Pickleball Answer: https://youtube.com/shorts/nwuG9p-4qww
Short Clip: https://youtube.com/shorts/mwIxTt_VGbM
Learn more about Dr. Rommie Maxey: https://www.nomercypickleball.com
Contact Our Hosts
- Shaun Boyce | shaun@americanracketsportsassociation.com | americanracketsportsassociation.comBobby Schindler | schindlerb@comcast.net | letsgotennis.com/windermereGeovanna Boyce | geovy@regeovinate.com | regeovinate.comGoTennis! | letsgotennis.com
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The GoTennis! Podcast is a recipient of the Marc Kaplan Media Excellence Award from USTA Georgia. Learn more: letsgotennis.com/captivate-podcast/gotennis-podcast-wins-the-marc-kaplan-media-excellence-award/
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