Author Erin McHugh is a dedicated pickleball enthusiast who plays most days, so when she suffered an injury last year and found herself with a cast on her hand, she used the downtime to chronicle her on-court experiences in her 31st book, aptly titled Pickleball Is Life: The Complete Guide To Feeding Your Obsession.
Deus Ex Machina
“It was a deus ex machina,” McHugh’s agent, Chris Tomasino, told Sean Flannelly at Dartmouth Week. “And then, of course, she learned to play with her other hand!” he adds.
Reflecting on her diverse writing journey, which has included factual works, memoirs, quote compilations, tour guides, and LGBTQ-related literature, McHugh noted that while some book projects take considerable time to land publishers, her pickleball-themed creation was a rapid success, selling overnight.
A Cheeky List Of Excuses
This colorful 150-page guide is primarily educational, delving into the sport’s roots and offering insights into pickleball player personas. It’s not just a guide; it’s peppered with pickleball’s origins, recipes for pickle juice cocktails, and even a cheeky list of excuses to play pickleball instead of other commitments.
Having lived in New York City for 42 years, working in publishing before transitioning to an author, McHugh’s return to Dartmouth, Massachusetts, led to her being introduced to pickleball on a temporary court. Instantly captivated by this most beguiling of sports, she found herself hooked.
Explosive Growth
The pandemic, with its widespread emptiness, contributed significantly to pickleball’s explosive growth, allowing enthusiasts like McHugh to set up impromptu games wherever and whenever she could.
“Everything was empty, so you could go anywhere and build the court anywhere,” she said.
Still carrying a net and chalk in her car, according to Tomasino, she embodies the spirit of the sport, setting up courts wherever she feels the urge to play.
SouthCoast Area
McHugh often travels to Fairhaven to take part in the vibrant pickleball community there, largely due to the Fairhaven Pickleball Association. However, with six new courts now in Dartmouth, she hopes to create a similar atmosphere there and go some way to transforming the SouthCoast area into a pickleball hub.
Her efforts extend beyond personal play; she has helped construct a court for Our Sisters School, which has, in turn, integrated pickleball into its curriculum.
While she promoting her book, McHugh was often asked about the sport’s impact on mental health and overall well-being.
“[For] people my age, it’s incredibly easy and dangerous to let your life start getting a little smaller, incrementally,” she says. “It happens just day by day, and pickleball is a great thing [to prevent] that.”
Pickleball’s Appeal Has Broadened
Initially favored by older demographics, pickleball’s appeal has broadened, witnessing a reduction in the average player age to 38. Tomasino acknowledges its significance in providing respite amidst various life challenges, underscoring the value of simply having a good time.
“[People] are beleaguered on a lot of different fronts, whether it’s financial, political or social,” he says. “But if you can just have a good time, it’s worth its weight in gold.”
McHugh puts a lot of pickleball’s burgeoning popularity down to its accessibility, noting that while it takes a brief half-hour to grasp the rudimentary skills, mastering the sport is an ongoing journey.
For her, pickleball is more than just a hobby: “Pickleball is life for me, but I’m a crazy person,” she says. It’s welcoming, it’s egalitarian, it’s very near to cost-free, and there’s a lot, a lot of laughter.”
She signs off with a poignant question that I suspect she isn’t the first to ask: “Why isn’t life more like pickleball?
