Oi-Yan Chung shares about how pickleball changed her life.
A year after the pandemic, my family was desperate for safe activities that we could do outdoors. The pandemic had shrunk our world, leaving us craving for connection. For me, that isolation ran even deeper. I was quietly facing an identity crisis. After working for over 20 years, I had stepped away from my career to become a stay-at-home mom. Seven years later, I found myself wondering who I was besides a mom and a wife.
Then, we discovered pickleball. We wandered onto the courts at Mountain View’s Rengstorff Park, complete beginners. Almost immediately, a regular welcomed us and showed us the rules. The group was ecstatic to see how quickly my eight-year-old son — who had a little tennis background — picked up the game. We were instantly hooked, returning multiple times a week.
At first, we were terrible. We were thoroughly humbled by older players that punished our high balls. But as our skills grew, so did our community. I started playing with the morning crew, who offered a lot more than just a good game; they threw in some excellent parenting advice too.
What I fell in love with wasn’t just the sport, but the connections we found among pickleball players. In a region often criticized for its hyper-focused tech culture, pickleball shattered those walls. It gave my son a canvas to discover a genuine new talent.