There's a Nine-Year-Old Elephant on Your Tennis Courts

**Season 26, Episode 17** *There's a Nine-Year-Old Elephant on Your Tennis Courts* *Shaun Boyce & Bobby Schindler with Dr. Rommie Maxey* **Summary** Dr. Rommie Maxey didn't set out to become a pickleball entrepreneur. The sport found him — and he ran with it. Six-time national champion, co-owner of the Houston Hammers, trainer to 14,000 players across five continents, and now a member of the ARA National Advisory Board, Dr. Maxey joins Shaun and Bobby to talk about where pickleball actually is right now: the demographics shift nobody expected, why Houston went from 1 to 42 indoor facilities in four years, what the VAIR rating system changes, and why pickleball is basically a nine-year-old who just walked into a room full of adults and refused to leave. Dr. Maxey recently joined the National Advisory Board of the American Racket Sports Association — the national organization uniting tennis, pickleball, and padel professionals. Learn more at americanracketsportsassociation.com. **Key Topics** - Dr. Maxey's path from collegiate athlete to pickleball influencer and entrepreneur - The demographic surprise: average pickleball player age is now 34 and dropping - Global expansion — Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and why badminton culture fuels it - Houston's indoor pickleball boom: 1 facility to 42 in four years - Club conversions, court-sharing, and the monetization reality for facilities - The VAIR rating system: recreational vs. certified ratings and why it matters - Pickleball as "a nine-year-old" — what that means for the industry's future **Keywords** Pickleball, Dr. Rommie Maxey, Houston Hammers, VAIR Rating System, Pickleball Growth, Indoor Pickleball, Tennis to Pickleball, Racket Sports Industry, Entrepreneurship, Global Pickleball, ARA, American Racket Sports Association **Sound Bites** - *"Pickleball found me."* - *"Houston went from one indoor facility to 42 in four years."* - *"Pickleball is basically a nine-year-old — it doesn't even know what it is yet."* **Full YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/7aFSqMzkoxQ** **Dr. Maxey's King of Pickleball Answer: https://youtube.com/shorts/nwuG9p-4qww** **Short Clip**: https://youtube.com/shorts/mwIxTt\_VGbM **Learn more about Dr. Rommie Maxey: https://www.nomercypickleball.com** **Contact Our Hosts** - Shaun Boyce | [shaun@americanracketsportsassociation.com](mailto:shaun@americanracketsportsassociation.com) | [americanracketsportsassociation.com](americanracketsportsassociation.com) - Bobby Schindler | [schindlerb@comcast.net](mailto:schindlerb@comcast.net) | [letsgotennis.com/windermere](letsgotennis.com/windermere) - Geovanna Boyce | [geovy@regeovinate.com](mailto:geovy@regeovinate.com) | [regeovinate.com](regeovinate.com) - GoTennis! | [letsgotennis.com](letsgotennis.com) **Award** The GoTennis! Podcast is a recipient of the Marc Kaplan Media Excellence Award from USTA Georgia. Learn more: [letsgotennis.com/captivate-podcast/gotennis-podcast-wins-the-marc-kaplan-media-excellence-award/](letsgotennis.com/captivate-podcast/gotennis-podcast-wins-the-marc-kaplan-media-excellence-award/) **Join Our Community** GoTennis! Atlanta on Facebook — deals, updates, events, podcasts, news, coach profiles, club info, and more. **Support the Show** Donate directly: [gotennispodcast.captivate.fm/support](gotennispodcast.captivate.fm/support) **Start Your Own Podcast** We host on Captivate. Try it free: [captivate.fm/signup?ref=atlantatennispodcast](captivate.fm/signup?ref=atlantatennispodcast)