By Matthew Schwartz
If you are into pickleball and 50 or over, if you want to improve your game, get tips on anything from shot selection, shoes, stretching and tournament information, if you want join a discussion or start one, ask a question or learn virtually anything about the sport, the Facebook group, “Pickleball for Seniors” is one group you want to be a member of.
More than 50,000 people agree.
“Pickleball for Seniors” was started on Valentine’s Day, 2024. The group reached 50,000 members last month. That is considered a fast, highly successful rise for a Facebook group. To put it in perspective, the vast majority of public and private Facebook groups never attract more than 1,000 members. Sustaining an average growth rate of approximately 2000 new members every month for 24 months requires either a passionate niche, viral content, or excellent organic search discoverability within Facebook's algorithm.
The creator and administrator of “Pickleball for Seniors” is Peter LoCascio, an 81-years “young,” as he puts it, retired businessman and avid pickleball player who lives in West Salem, Oregon.
“Creating ‘Pickleball for Seniors’ was a logical evolution for me stemming from being a senior, having retired, and seeking an activity that was fun and challenging,” Peter told me. “The goal for ‘Pickleball for Seniors’ is to provide a home for seniors worldwide where playing the game is explained, demonstrated and celebrated.”
Peter personally reviews every submitted post to ensure it supports the group’s general philosophy.
“There are no political, nasty, direct product sales or slightly questionable off color posts accepted or tolerated,” Peter says.
That’s good to know, considering how trolls inject politics or nastiness into otherwise nice and helpful discussions all over Facebook.
Peter had successful careers in the display business, software sales and corporate marketing. His success came despite having ADHD and dyslexia as a child and being disrespected due to those conditions.
“My fear of failure that was constantly predicted and easily touted to my parents and friends but most all of my teachers inspired me to someday prove all of them wrong,” Peter told me when I profiled him last year.
For a guy with that kind of start in life, Peter did pretty well for himself. He was able to retire at 42.
“I met a young man who started a software company in his garage who needed the advertising, marketing and sales skills I learned from working at various corporations. Having no revenue at the time, he couldn’t offer me a full-time job so we agreed on paying me 10% of gross sales instead. The software he created at OrCAD Systems [a software suite used for electronic design automation] I soon learned was wonderful, and after figuring out how best to market and sell it, I accepted founder’s stock in addition to a generous salary. The company went public in 1996, adding to my buyout revenue I acquired at age 42 in 1987 when I left the company.”
Peter fell in love with pickleball nine years ago. He plays several times a week and has medaled in many tournaments. His age-based DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) for 65+ is 3.794.
Peter attributes the fast growth of “Pickleball for Seniors” to several factors that players find interesting.
“The site includes professional players posting video tips on how to play, physical therapists suggesting ways to play safely, personal stories of tournament experiences, performance-coaching suggestions, and exercise drills for playing without injury,” Peter told me.
“There are many photographs and videos of pickleball club tournament medal winners, social happenings, and travel destinations that specialize in offering pickleball camps and training sessions.”
Sarah Bowman is a frequent contributor to “Pickleball for Seniors.” (The 56-year-old resident of Rohrersville, MD, is also a heck of a player, a nationally-ranked senior pro with an age-based DUPR of over 5.0.) Sarah told me, “I really treasure this group because one of the most amazing aspects of pickleball is the opportunity it gives us to begin a new chapter. Some of us are former athletes wishing to reignite our competitive spark. Some of us are recently widowed or divorced and looking for social connection. Some of us are new empty nesters hoping to find a new purpose. Some of us are sedentary and need a fun way to get off the couch. Pickleball is for everybody. This group is a helpful community to support each of us as we navigate this amazing new chapter of our lives.”
Group member Larry Abelman of Shrewsbury, VT, turns 79 next month. Larry has an age-based DUPR of nearly 4.0. He said, “Now I have a community of 50,000 people. I love reading the various thoughts that other people that other people have in various parts of the country. I love the big smiles I see in pictures of tournament winners that get published on [the group page]. I also love seeing how vibrant and healthy the seniors that play pickleball are.
“I also love enjoy the instructional videos that can be helpful.”
Peter adds, “As pickleball continues to grow, ‘Pickleball for Seniors’ will keep pace in providing valuable and meaningful lifestyle experiences and information for seniors worldwide.”
Thoughts of the week, not all pickleball
· Highly ranked women’s player Rachel Rohrabacher was lucky she wasn’t seriously hurt when the baseline scoreboard fell on her during an MLP match in New York on June 25th. Rohrabacher’s leg was trapped briefly but fortunately she’s okay. The official explanation that the 30-foot video board fell due to a “sudden wind gust” is a bad excuse. As I wrote on Facebook the day after it happened, secure the damn scoreboard.
· Rec play this past Thursday: I’m playing doubles and the score is tied at 9. I hit a diagonal drop shot from the right side to the left that my opponent cannot reach because she was too far back. A split second later a ball from the adjacent court rolls barely onto the right side of our court. This was nowhere near the play and, again, immediately after my opponent could not return my shot. My right-side opponent says, “Ball on” and says we need to replay the point. Changed the momentum and instead of being ahead 10-9 it remained tied. We lost, 11-9. Hey, it’s only rec play and I never argue. I just think when a ball rolls on your court and the play really is over, don’t call for a replay. I never mentioned this to anyone so I had to vent here. Thanks for listening. I feel better now.
· If you like Larry David you will love his new HBO Max Series, Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness (great title). It’s a seven-episode sketch comedy series that takes a look at major events in American history. David shows all the sides of him that fans love: Cranky, prickly, no filter, annoying, negative, and cheap. The first episode dropped on HBO Max on June 26th and I was dying.
· I know I’m 19 years late on this but for whatever reason I never watched Mad Men until last week. Now I’m binge watching it. The writing, acting and storylines are first rate. Having worked in New York City in the late ‘70’s and again from 1983 through 2003, and having known some Madison Avenue advertising guys, I think the series is accurate, especially considering Hollywood’s usual over-the-top storylines, in its portrayal of their wild lifestyles.
