What happens when one of the biggest pickleball festivals in the country brings competition, connection, vendors, clinics, networking, and community all under one roof?

In this episode, Kelsea Thompson, director of PickleCon, shares how she first discovered pickleball while running an indoor sports complex and how that journey led her to help build one of the largest indoor pickleball festivals in the United States. She talks about the vision behind PickleCon, what makes the event so unique, and how it has grown into a one-of-a-kind experience for amateur players, juniors, seniors, adaptive athletes, vendors, brands, and pickleball fans of every level. 

Kelsea also opens up about recovering from a serious accident, how pickleball helped her reconnect with movement during rehab, and why she believes the sport truly is for everyone. She shares thoughtful insights on consistency, community, leadership, and what it takes to create an event where people can compete, learn, network, and feel like they belong. 

This is an inspiring conversation about PickleCon, pickleball festivals, amateur pickleball, adaptive pickleball, pickleball community, sports events, recovery, leadership, and the life lessons that come from showing up, staying consistent, and building something bigger than yourself.

📘 Our book Life Lessons from Pickleball™ is now available on Amazon

Order the book here: https://a.co/d/0bHPFYve

A collection of short, true stories from players around the world about community, resilience, and joy through the game of pickleball.

A portion of proceeds supports Operation PaddleLift, through the Global Pickleball Federation, distributing paddles, balls and nets to underserved communities around the world.

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Music gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen 

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