Pete Peterson boasts an extensive tenure exceeding 75,000 hours in various capacities within the realm of tennis. He’s done it all, including stints as a player, coach, and tennis professional.
Crowning Achievements
His crowning achievements include securing an over-35 world title and coaching a doubles player to a Wimbledon title.
Yet, Peterson’s affection for tennis recently led him to a fresh endeavor that has swiftly become a burning passion: the promotion of pickleball within Native American reservations.
As a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Peterson has long recognized the untapped reservoir of athletic potential residing within reservations across the United States.
At a juncture when he found his role as a tennis professional at a country club was no longer challenging enough, the burgeoning sport of pickleball emerged, captivating the nation and commandeering tennis courts!
Serving Love Foundation
Through the Serving Love Foundation, an organization he co-founded, Peterson seamlessly amalgamated his devotion to racquet sports with helping an underserved community.
Speaking to Steve Drumwright, a freelance contributor representing USA Pickleball through Red Line Editorial, Inc., Peterson said, “We’re really getting some momentum,” Peterson told Steve Drumwright, a freelance contributor to USA Pickleball on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
“We’re going with the health and wealth wellness initiative to where we’re going to create programs. The cool thing about pickleball is kids can play it, teams can play it, adults can play it, and seniors can play it.
“I envision family competitions and community and really a great chance to build community wellness.”
Distinctive Quality
In Peterson’s estimation, the distinctive quality that sets pickleball apart from tennis is its accessibility.
While acquiring proficiency in tennis demands a prolonged investment of time, often spanning months, pickleball is accessible to individuals of all ages and skill levels after merely two 45-minute sessions.
This accessibility is akin to activities such as bowling or curling, as opposed to more intricate sports like football or baseball.
Rez Ball
Basketball is hugely popular on Native American reservations, as underscored by the forthcoming Netflix film Rez Ball, produced by LeBron James and inspired by Michael Powell’s nonfiction work Canyon Dreams.
Additionally, Byron Graves authored a fictional piece also titled Rez Ball.
Nevertheless, a noteworthy hurdle with basketball lies in the prerequisite of specific physical attributes, notably height, for players to ascend to higher levels.
In this context, pickleball emerges as an appealing alternative, where agility and swiftness can wield significant advantages.
“No 1 Sport In Native Country”
“Basketball is the No. 1 sport in Native country,” says Peterson, “but really, you give me the next 20 kids that don’t make the basketball team, and I’ll give you a national champions kind of thing (in pickleball).
“Because we’re good athletes that are competitive, that really need some hope and some opportunity to do something.”
Over the past year, the Serving Love Foundation has fostered pickleball engagement across five reservations, laying the groundwork for the inaugural Native American Pickleball Championship scheduled for November 17-19 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Given Oklahoma’s deep-rooted Native American heritage, with over three dozen federally recognized tribes — a tally surpassed only by Alaska and California — Peterson envisions the tournament as a catalyst for similar initiatives on reservations nationwide.
A fundraising tournament encompassing non-Natives will also be held in conjunction with the Native American bracket.
Maiden Venture
“Anything we get, we’re going to be happy with. That’s our first one. We’re hoping for 50 Native Americans; just fingers crossed that we can get some people interested and get some good press and create that awareness so we can continue to build that.”
Above all, Peterson hopes to furnish Native Americans with an additional avenue to lead wholesome lives. As a case in point, in Boise, Idaho, he operates a community pickleball program situated within a homeless shelter.
Peterson marvels, “I never would have believed it myself, as positive as I want to be and I’m supposed to be.
“People that have to be there that are either in an addiction group or a mental health group are going up and doing their thing (with pickleball) and get the blood pumping, get some sunshine, get hitting balls, get their mind active and body active.
“It’s like getting a workout without feeling like you’re doing a workout.”
Simplicity And Accessibility
The simplicity and accessibility inherent to pickleball form the cornerstone of Peterson’s belief in its potential success within more Native American reservations.
He emphasizes, “(We are) a bunch of sportsmen and survivors. We’ve been surviving and thriving here for thousands of years.
“It’s just a matter of getting us in the right sport, creating that hope and opportunity, and let it play. I’m a competitor, a people-builder, and I really think this platform can do that.”
