October 2024 Athlete of the Month
By Del Moon, NSGA Storyteller
Fran Myer, 78
Kenmore, Washington
Photo courtesy Fran Myer.
Some people just have a knack for falling into situations and finding themselves in the middle of history. When it comes to the early development of pickleball, Fran Myer shows up everywhere.
“I’m the Forrest Gump of pickleball,” she says with a laugh. “It had nothing to do with any sort of a specific goal with pickleball. I just really love the sport and became involved because I found it as a way to improve my physical and overall health. There’s social connections and the ability to age gracefully and stay active.”
Fran, who was raised in the Chinatown district of Seattle, has an interesting work history. While her main career was at the University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture as a fiscal specialist, Fran often took extra jobs that included offset press operator, receptionist at the Seattle Yacht Club, cashier at a toy store, server at Rainier Golf and Country Club, hospital records clerk, ticket manager for the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra and bookkeeper at a restaurant.
Oh, we almost forgot. Fran has also authored and illustrated two children’s books with her friend Jean Sasaki. No wonder she latched onto a game with a quirky name!
Pickleball had its origins in the Seattle area where she has lived most of her life. The sport bubbled up in local community centers, which is where Fran says it really got its big push from seniors.
“People of all ages were trying it, but it was the seniors that really latched on,” Fran recalls. “They were available to go to the community centers that offered pickleball for free during daytime hours when young people were in school and young adults were working.”
Fran had no athletic background other than youth ballet and was looking for something to help regain strength and to stay active after back surgery for a herniated disc in her early 40s. “I wasn’t interested in running and didn’t particularly like swimming, and I couldn’t think of anything I would like to do. Then I remembered I had gone to a party at somebody’s home the previous year, and they had a thing in their backyard that they called pickleball.”
Like so many that have followed, Fran fell in love with the sport and began competing in Sid Williams tournaments in the ‘90s. Passion and drive got her involved with organizing events, including nine years serving with her husband Barney as commissioners for the Washington State Senior Games pickleball tournament, which was begun by Joyce Jones, another pioneer who actively promoted getting pickleball added to the National Senior Games.
Fran Takes on the Internet – and Wins
The next fortuitous twist was when Fran had some free time while working as a receptionist and decided to make a website, even though she had no experience or initial direction. “I found a website that had more step-by-step procedures, and I created a website,” she says. “Now I needed a theme and thought, ‘Wow, I really like pickleball, I can do it about that.’”
And that, dear readers, is how Pickleball Stuff, the world’s first retail pickleball website, began in 1999 sharing posted rules and tips, court design and a listing of tournaments. The site quickly found its audience and requests to purchase equipment started pouring in. Fran contacted Pickleball, Inc. (run by Doug Smith, nephew of Barney McCallum, one of the game’s inventors) who saw the potential.
“I said, ‘Doug, do I need to write a check for these paddles?’ and he said, ‘No, no, no. Just go and when you sell them, you can give us the money.’ Pro Light Sports did the same thing, so I had inventory with zero investment,” she marvels, adding, “Most orders were not prepaid, but shipped out with the invoice in the box, payable upon receipt. It really was the Wild West back then.”
Fran next found herself in the middle of forming the nonprofit United States America Pickleball Association (USAPA). “It’s truly a Forrest Gump moment,” she laughs. “Back in 2005 when Mark Friedenberg and Steve Wong had this idea to start USAPA, they knew of our reputation as commissioners for the Washington State Senior Games, and they invited Barney and I to join them in the mission to create this organization. Barney Myer was the tournament director for the first USAPA National Tournament, and I was co-director with Dennis Duey for the second and third year.”
Fran Myer, far right, on the medal stand at the 2023 National Senior Games presented by Humana. Photo courtesy Fran Myer.
Fran also served as an officer on the USAPA board of directors for eight years, overseeing the explosive growth of the sport among seniors. She was the first woman inducted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame in 2018, and her next chapter was to find time to regularly compete in the National Senior Games. She’s pleased to have earned a silver and a bronze in women’s singles, but she says the greatest reward is seeing so many peers enjoying the game and its social environment.
“The USAPA now has pro divisions, master pros and the champion pros where they’re offering money,” she observes. “So jumping down the throat of your opponent may be more front of mind there than in the National Senior Games.
“I tell people all the time, if you’re senior age, you really should make an effort to participate in the National Senior Games,” she continues. “They promote the things I believe in – the spirit of being able to remain active into your later years and meeting people that are doing the same kinds of things you’re doing.”
