Hey there, fellow pickleball enthusiasts! My name is Mina, and I'm a civil engineer based out of Detroit, MI. I'm thrilled to share with you all one of my electrifying experiences working with Destination Pickleball and helping them expand America’s favorite sport abroad.
As part of the Destination team, my primary role is to transform ordinary tennis courts at various resorts into state-of-the-art Pickleball courts.
Our first project was in the stunning city of Cancun. We teamed up with the Kempinski Hotel to build the first and only professional-grade pickleball courts in this tropical paradise.
Here's how we did it.
Preparation = Drone Pilot
Before I even pack my bags for Cancun, I send out our secret weapon - Bob, Destination Pickleball's professional drone pilot.
Bob does a flyover of all the resorts and captures footage of their tennis courts with his trusty drone. When he sends me the footage, my excitement levels skyrocket because I know that I'm about to get an insider's look at the current state of the courts and how we can transform them to meet or exceed USA Pickleball standards.
The ability to assess the courts prior to construction is absolutely critical. We need to know what we're working with so that we can make appropriate plans and preparations.
If there are any issues with the courts, I make sure to relay those concerns to the resort's engineering department so that they can address and fix any necessary repairs prior to our pickleball court painting.
Thanks to Bob and his drones, we're able to tackle potential issues head-on and make sure that the courts are in top condition for all pickleball enthusiasts to enjoy.
Process
As a civil engineer, my role in this process is to be available for any questions that the civil engineers may have, while ensuring that the design and construction meet or exceed all necessary USA Pickleball regulations.
This is a task that invigorates us all, and we are excited to be part of such an innovative project.
Rachael, the founder of Destination Pickleball and professional Pickleball player, and Lee Whitwell, 2X MLP MVP, work closely together to create a design that is nothing short of world-class.
The design specifications are meticulously crafted to ensure that the courts meet the high standards required for Pickleball. I then take their design and ensure it’s built according to their specifications.
With their design expertise, the courts not only meet the requirements of Pickleball enthusiasts, but also meet the standards of the PPA and APP.
Language barrier
As an English speaker who isn't fully fluent in Spanish, I knew I would face some language barriers when relaying the regulations to the team.
However, I was determined to overcome this challenge to make this project a success. In the end, it wasn’t as difficult as expected.
Sometimes we need to get creative and find ways to bridge the language barrier and make the information easy to understand.
Rachael and I used visual aids such as court renderings to convey the information accurately.
It just goes to show that with a little creativity and teamwork, language barriers can be overcome and great things can be achieved!
Execution
I am thrilled to report that the construction process of converting the tennis courts into Pickleball courts at the Kempinski Hotel in Cancun was a tremendous success!
The Pickleball courts are ready for play. If you plan to travel anytime soon, check them out.
The Kempinski Hotel staff was delighted with the results too, and the guests were thrilled to have another activity available to them.
Overall, this was an incredible project to work on, and I'm delighted that we were able to contribute to Destination Pickleball's vision of expanding Pickleball internationally. I'm looking forward to working on the next project, wherever in the world it may be!
