Tennessee Junior Pickleball Association and FCA Form Partnership to Advance Youth Pickleball
Tennessee Junior Pickleball Association is creating partnerships with youth-based organizations like FCA to expand organized youth pickleball.
— Coach Randall Bedwell
MEMPHIS, TN, USA, July 29, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Tennessee Junior Pickleball Association (TJPA) announced a partnership with the Memphis Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), an interdenominational Christian sports ministry dedicated to spreading the message of Jesus Christ through sports. This collaboration aims to co-sponsor and promote “The Road to Memphis,” a junior pickleball tournament series as well as adaptive events that introduce special needs students to the fun of pickleball.
Bluff City Pickleball, an 8-court indoor pickleball facility in Bartlett, TN, will host an eight-tournament series culminating in the state championship in April, 2025. According to John Daniel, who founded Bluff City Pickleball with his wife Leslie earlier this year, “Bluff City Pickleball is committed to serving the community by providing a welcoming, inclusive, and safe environment for kids. Through our strategic partnerships with Tennessee Junior Pickleball Association and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, we aim to make pickleball accessible to every child—regardless of limitations—nurturing their growth both on and off the court.”
The Greater Memphis Fellowship of Christian Athletes engages with students from middle school to high school to college across Memphis, Shelby County, Fayette County, and Tipton County. FCA staff and volunteers visit schools weekly, distribute Bibles to students, and ensure that numerous student athletes have the opportunity to participate in camps focused on athletics and leadership throughout the year. Pickleball is a new sport for FCA.
Other qualifying tournaments are planned across the state, bringing together the top athletes in the emerging sport of junior pickleball. These tournaments are expected to attract thousands of young pickleball enthusiasts, providing a safe and fun indoor environment for play.
Tennessee Junior Pickleball Association was created by Randall Bedwell, founder of Pickleball Kids USA and one of Tennessee’s leading advocates for coeducational junior pickleball. He provides training to physical education teachers statewide through the Tennessee Department of Education Coordinated School Health and authored “Tennessee Academic Standards for Physical Education- Pickleball,” funded by a grant from the Tennessee Department of Health. He currently serves as a consultant to Bluff City Pickleball, headquarters of the TJPA, where he is tasked with building their junior pickleball program.
In addition to the competitive pathways created through these TJPA sanctioned events, an ongoing series of inclusive events will be organized to introduce students with developmental challenges to learn and play pickleball in a safe recreational environment, incorporating adaptive pickleball therapy to promote fun, self-confidence, and health benefits.
Rod Nixon, local Memphis FCA director, expressed excitement about the partnership: “We are thrilled to partner with the Tennessee Junior Pickleball Association and Bluff City Pickleball to introduce organized junior pickleball to our student-athletes. Through the TJPA, we anticipate that our number of athletes will expand, not just in the Memphis area, but across Tennessee and eventually nationally.”
About Tennessee Junior Pickleball Association
The Tennessee Junior Pickleball Association (TJPA) is dedicated to the growth and development of junior pickleball across Tennessee. Our mission ensures that schools, communities, and organizations have the resources and support they need to engage all young athletes in this exciting sport.
About Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is touching millions of lives…one heart at a time. Since 1954, FCA has been challenging coaches and athletes on the professional, college, high school, junior high and youth levels to use the powerful platform of sport to reach every coach and every athlete with the transforming power of Jesus Christ. FCA focuses on serving local communities around the globe by engaging, equipping, and empowering coaches and athletes to unite, inspire and change the world through the gospel.
About Bluff City Pickleball
Bluff City Pickleball is a social enterprise that operates as a membership-based club and prioritizes both profitability and service to the community. The owners have a stated mission to use the club to increase member and community health and well-being by increasing social connection through the game of pickleball.
Keywords: Pickleball, Junior Pickleball, Tennessee Junior Pickleball Association, FCA Sports, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Pickleball Kids USA, Randall Bedwell, Bluff City Pickleball.
Randall Bedwell
Tennessee Junior Pickleball Association
+1 901-283-1320
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