Tallahassee Pickleball Association

TPA News

Member Spotlight: Cathy Bedsole

This month’s TPA member spotlight is shining on Cathy Bedsole, the recently elected President of the TPA. Cathy has been playing pickleball since November 2019, when she started playing at the Tallahassee Senior Center. She began watching pickleball videos and playing for hours at a time, and she realized she was hooked on the sport.

In her first year of playing, Cathy participated in a tournament in Crawfordville, and from that point on, things started snowballing. She began assisting Abdel Gonzalez with the PB&Yay! tournaments, and what started with a 24-player tournament in the Crawfordville three-court gym has grown to 64 players on eight courts. Cathy and Ebo Barefoot also started the TPA Round Robins, which have been quite successful within the pickleball community, drawing 32 players and filling up within hours of posting the signup twice a month!

Cathy has been involved in various sports like racquetball, softball, disc golf, basketball, and soccer her entire life. Thirty-three years ago, she broke her ankle, and her activity level took a nosedive. She feels grateful to have found pickleball. She enjoys pickleball because it is a team sport, and balancing fun with competitiveness has been a bit of a struggle for her. She credits her pickleball partner, Dede Bryson, for helping her stay focused on what is important, and keeping her in check when she’s not having fun.

During a tournament in Gainesville, she took a tumble while playing and literally crawled to her paddle to continue playing, yelling, “Keep playing, Dede!” despite the crash. Now, that is dedication! Her advice to new players is to take a lesson or two, get involved in drilling sessions, and try out the Senior Center to gain some beginner experience. The TPA website (tallahasseepickleball.com) lists a number of instructors available for all skill levels. Once you have the basics down, she suggests playing in a TPA Round Robin. She also advises beginners, as well as seasoned players, to get their DUPR rating to ensure they are playing at the right skill level. It is also a good indicator to track improvement.

In her non-pickleball time, Cathy enjoys computer gaming (WOW) and spending time with her family. Her vision for TPA is to help provide more organized events for players at all levels and to rally for more and better courts, shade structures, etc., to enhance the experience for players. “Now that the TPA is growing in numbers, we are gaining influence and being heard.” Our voices need to be heard as we lack courts to hold events. Only Leon County and the forward-thinking Director, Amanda Heidecker, have agreed to allow it. As the TPA President, she is looking to recruit more volunteers, particularly players who can organize events.

If anyone is interested in running events for TPA, please contact Cathy or Ebo Barefoot (Event Committee Co-Chair).

TPA members welcome Cathy as our new leader, and we thank her for her tenacity in improving pickleball for all involved.