Life Lessons from Pickleball™
Life Lessons from Pickleball™
Shelley Maurer and Sher Emerick
E96: Kelsea Thompson: Building Pickleball Community at PickleCon
28 minutes Posted Feb 24, 2026 at 11:00 am.
Welcome And Book Announcement
Meet Kelsey Thompson And PickleCon
Kelsey’s Path Into Pickleball
The Vision And Research Behind PickleCon
Scale, Venue, And Attendance Growth
Festivals, Pros, And Nightlife Programming
Clinics, Tournaments, And Adaptive Play
Vendor Village And Networking Design
The Hardest Logistics: Laying 40+ Courts
Court Surfaces And On-Site Operations
All Ages Welcome And Open Play
Community, Relationships, And Ambassadors
States Represented And Community Spirit
Kelsey’s Accident And Recovery
Why Pickleball Is Truly For Everyone
Balancing Competition With Access
Travel, Lodging, And Downtown Tips
Growth Vision And Partner Opportunities
Sponsorships, New Segments, And Outreach
Life Lessons: Consistency Over Intensity
First-Timers, Finding Friends, And Tours
Wrap Up And How To Join
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Show notes
What happens when one of the biggest pickleball festivals in the country brings competition, connection, vendors, clinics, networking, and community all under one roof? In this episode, Kelsea Thompson, director of PickleCon, shares how she first discovered pickleball while running an indoor sports complex and how that journey led her to help build one of the largest indoor pickleball festivals in the United States. She talks about the vision behind PickleCon, what makes the event so unique, ...