Jamie Elliott is on a mission to revolutionize the landscape of pickleball. A journey she is only too aware will require a mountain of patience and perseverance. 

Full Of Nuance And Light And Shade

She first came across the sport in 2010 and soon developed a deep love for it, especially as she delved deeper into the sport and found it so full of nuance and light and shade. Progressing to the 4.0 level as a player, she wore two hats: dedicated herself to promoting the sport and encouraging others to join in the game.

However, her trajectory took an unforeseen turn following a critical surgery in March 2019 when she underwent a procedure to remove a cancerous tumor from her spine. Complications from the operation resulted in partial paralysis of her lower body, with medical professionals delivering the grim prognosis that she might never walk again.

Undeterred, Elliott, hailing from McKinney, Texas, made a resolute promise during the initial stages of her recovery to return to the pickleball court in some way. True to her word, she eventually found a way, albeit with the help of a sports wheelchair, and with her enthusiasm unchanged, she has decided to attract as many people into the game as she can. 

Read about Twile Adam’s incredible pickleball journey after a dreadful car accident by clicking here.

“I Wanted To Be Back Playing”

“Pickleball is, at its essence, all about being a sport for everybody,” she tells USA Pickleball. “I have to admit that I didn’t consider the sport and what needs to be in place when I wasn’t needing a wheelchair. I just played and did everything. But after that surgery, I realized that I could have a future in pickleball even if I wasn’t strong enough anymore on my legs.

“I wanted to be back playing because I knew it was such an important part of my life; I didn’t want to stop. I was depressed and down without it. It brought me back to life. I needed to find the best way to keep pickleball in my life.”

The setback forced Elliott out of active play for 22 months, during which she remained connected to the sport by volunteering at tournaments and observing her peers compete. 

An Arduous Path

She also embarked on an arduous path of physical therapy, driven by her unwavering determination to regain mobility and resume her pickleball journey.

However, for that to happen, Elliott had to face the reality that despite considerable progress in walking with assistance, the residual weakness in her legs posed challenges for conventional pickleball play.

So she shifted her focus. Drawing inspiration from witnessing Pam Fontaine, a U.S. Paralympic bronze medalist in wheelchair basketball, playing pickleball, Elliott tried it herself and has found it a perfect solution.

Embracing the motto “Where there is a wheel, there is a way,” Elliott has since mastered the subtleties of the game played from a wheelchair.

“I’m still learning the best way to do shots and how to move while in the sports chair,” she says. “You cannot rest your paddle on your lap, so you have to keep it up between shots, switch hands, hold one for the paddle, and then the other hand moves the chair.

“It’s a lot of moving parts, and you have to get that to a point where you feel it’s all working well.”

Renewed Vigor

Prior to her health challenges, Elliott served as a USA Pickleball Ambassador, a role she has found the motivation to go back into with renewed vigor. 

Leveraging her experiences as a wheelchair player, she advocates for greater accessibility within the sport, highlighting the unique challenges faced by players with disabilities. She has also raised awareness of the importance of developing pathways to ensure inclusivity in the sport, from modifying equipment to enhancing facility accessibility.

For example, the base of the chair has to be wider, allowing for more stability during play. However, that extra width can make the chair too wide to fit through doorways at pickleball facilities — even those that are up to code for non-sport wheelchair accessibility. 

Players need assistance to gain access to such facilities, a process that can include having to take the wheels off their chairs and then reassembling everything.

Notable Progress

Elliott knows that the development of community — from being part of founding a national non-profit organization (P3 Para Pickleball Program) to creating adaptive groups to play in the Dallas Metroplex to finding providers for equipment — will lead to growth.

There’s been some notable progress. Fifteen Chicken N Pickle locations around the country offer twice-weekly adaptive court time, and Carvana sponsored a Pickleball for All clinic to help introduce the sport. 

Elliott’s active profile on Facebook helps connect other players to resources. Six sports chairs have been donated and will be available to help new players have better on-court movement.

“It’s the best thing to stay active and make connections within the community, for all ages and all abilities,” said Elliott, who worked as a Screen Actors Guild-carded stuntperson in movies and TV shows for two decades. “I’ve always been very athletic, and having that part of my life means a lot to me. It’s part of keeping me in good physical and mental health. I know that pickleball is that outlet for so many others, too”.