Dianne Birtley
Dianne is founder of Pickleball Adventure. Once a competitive squash player, Dianne can be found on pickleball courts in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Dianne is a 4.0 player who plays multiple times per week, and tests many pickleball paddles (as the solo pickleball player behind Pickleball Adventure).
My Pickleball Adventure
I started Pickleball Adventure for people of all ages who are interested in learning about pickleball, want to expand their social network, have fun and get physically fit, all at the same time.
My goal is to provide you with an easy to read and understand resource that will simplify learning pickleball and make it effortless for you to continue growing your skills.
And with the crazy growth of pickleball over the last few years, there has been exponential growth in the variety of pickleball paddles and other pickleball equipment that’s available. And that can be overwhelming and time-consuming to digest.
One objective of mine is to make it easier and quicker for people to find the pickleball equipment they need to buy.
I test paddles, balls and other gear so I can provide you with my personal and honest feedback. We all have our own bias but I think I can offer additional value by sharing my thoughts.
In some cases, I’ll spend a considerable amount of time reading product reviews, consolidating the results, and narrowing the options down to only a few (because sometimes less is more).
“Why?” You ask? Because I want to make it simpler for you to make a choice so that you can spend more time on the pickleball court.
After all, it’s not just all about me (and my viewpoints). So, I’ll provide you with the ‘majority rules’ perspective and in some situations, I’ll include my 2 cents worth.
When I initially started playing pickleball, I was trying to find pickleball information that was easy to read. Although I have a background in racquet sports, pickleball seemed like a different ball-game (haha) altogether.
And then the task of finding a pickleball paddle became daunting, because, well, there’s 1000s (or so it seems) on the market. I could not figure out how to decide which paddle would be best for a beginner (especially without breaking the bank).
So began my pickleball adventure.
I have played racquet sports for years. Squash was really my game. I loved racquetball too and I played both these sports because I loved the games, the competition, exercise, and social interaction.
I also grew up playing badminton, tennis, and table tennis. These were all recreational, fun, family activities that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I look forward to having you join me on this pickleball adventure! I hope that you have fun and get hooked.