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If there is one sport that benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic, it's pickleball.
It's fast and it's competitive, but players say pickleball - which combines many elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong - is much easier to learn.
What also grew was the sense of community, and it showed last weekend when players came together for a tragic loss. "It was like someone came and turned our house upside down, shook it and left," said Monica Aguilar-Hicks of Santa Clarita. Five years ago, Aguilar-Hicks' husband, Leo, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. "I never even heard of AML, acute myeloid leukemia," she said.
Organizers said if someone finds a match from the drive, it will be an amazing way to honor Leo. "The worst thing that happened to our family was my husband passing away -- my children's father -- however, it would be such a disservice to him if that's where it ended," said Aguilar-Hicks.
Jen Azevedo is a tennis professional, pickleball professional, personal trainer, group exercise instructor, and the general manager of the Paseo Club. She loves the community at the Paseo Club and that it is also a safe and fun place for her daughter. Jen’s favorite activities are joining her tribe for trail races or her partners for tennis matches. Occasionally Jen slows down to relax with a book — she reads over 100 a year!
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