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Rick is joined by junior tennis player and PPA Pickleball player, Chloe Zigliara of Georgia.
Chloe is a top junior tennis player and is being recruited by top colleges. She is also dabbling and experiencing success in Pickleball.
Tough decisions ahead, but Chloe is doing it the right was and was a delight to talk to at a Pickleball event in Las Vegas.
Listen and learn more about Chloe’s journey.
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Rick is joined by a rising star of the PPA (Pickleball) Tour this week.
Meggan William, the top player from the island of St. Lucia.
Meggan is a graduate from the University of Charleston (WV) with a degree in Exercise Science, looking to pursue a Doctorate degree in Occupational Therapy post graduation.
The resident of Las Vegas played on the Charleston tennis team and now is one of the many players making the transition to Pickleball. For Meggan, it’s on the professional level. With some good results in 2025, Meggan now has a world ranking. She has her eyes on the Olympics if and when Pickleball becomes and Olympic sport.
She’s traveling the country picking up valuable ranking points and watching her ranking move. Meggan wants everyone to know how hard this is and how dedicated you have to be. Pickleball may be a relatively new sport, but it’s ultra competitive.
Have a listen to Meggan and her journey from college tennis to pro pickleball.
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Rick sits down with Matt Hetherington at the US Smash table tennis in Las Vegas.
He is a Marketing Specialist for Joola.
From Hetherington:
My involvement in Table Tennis after completing 3 years of an economics and financial analysis degree has led me into more online fields and digital methods of marketing and promotion, going from small contracts working in building online sales platforms to lead roles in table tennis marketing for USA Table Tennis and now JOOLA both in the USA and Global.
Established in Germany in 1952, JOOLA has dominated the professional table tennis scene in the United States for over 15 years. Partnering with North American Table Tennis (NATT) early on, JOOLA established a strong presence through the North American Tour and NATT‘s flagship event, the North American Teams Championships. Each event in the Tour generally drew in 200 to 300 participants and showcased about 30 JOOLA tables, while the Teams event exposed the brand to nearly 1000 players, who competed on about 150 JOOLA tables. With each successful event, JOOLA grew its fan base and eventually became the most visible table tennis brand in US table tennis.
JOOLA later served as the Official Table Sponsor of USA Table Tennis’ (USATT), the national governing body for table tennis, major tournaments from 2012 until 2019. This included the US Open and US National Championships.
In 2019, Sport Squad, Inc., the US-based distributor and licensee of JOOLA for the North American and Brazilian market., announced its acquisition of JOOLA Tischtennis GmbH. Established in 2006 and based in Rockville, MD, Sport Squad, Inc. was founded by Richard Lee out of a love for table tennis. Sport Squad eventually expanded to include 4 different brands dedicated to offering interactive and immersive games and gaming equipment. It is the parent company to JOOLA, iPong, Sport Squad, and Hit Mit. In 2022, JOOLA launched JOOLA Pickleball and immediately took the sport by storm as the sponsor of pickleball world #1 Ben Johns and a partner of USPPA.
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A great talk today with AJ Bartlett of Diadem.
From Diadem:
At Diadem Sports, our journey began in 2015 with a vision that transcends tennis rackets and pickleball paddles. Founded Pompano Beach, Florida—the heartbeat of the sports industry—we set out to redefine what it means to play.
As the last American tennis brand, we’ve built our legacy on innovation. Our team, boasting over a century of combined experience as collegiate and pro players and coaches, saw beyond the status quo. We didn’t just see strings and rackets; we saw untapped potential. This insight led to breakthroughs like our Solstice Power string with patented Star Core Technology, offering unparalleled spin and control.
But our mission goes deeper than creating top-tier products. We believe in “Live to Play”—a philosophy that shapes everything we do. It’s about recognizing that when we pick up a racket or paddle, we’re engaging in something profoundly human. We play for physical fitness and nurturing our health and wellness. We play for the joy of social interaction, satisfying our innate desire to connect with others.
This belief has guided our expansion from tennis into the vibrant world of pickleball. It’s why we’ve diversified our product line with a full range of pickleball gear. Each product is a testament to our commitment to innovation, designed in-house to help you play better.
Yet, “Live to Play” is more than a tagline; it’s a call to action. In a world that often feels disconnected, we’re using sports as a bridge. Tennis and pickleball aren’t just games; they’re platforms for human connection. They’re opportunities to step away from screens, engage with others, and remember the simple joy of play.
As we continue to grow, partnering with distributors worldwide, our vision remains unchanged. We’re here to innovate, to redefine the game, but more importantly, to remind you of why you play. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a weekend warrior, when you choose Diadem, you’re choosing more than equipment. You’re embracing a lifestyle that celebrates movement, connection, and the sheer delight of being active.
Join us in this journey. Live to Play, and let’s make every serve, every volley, and every point a celebration of what makes us human.
Tennis and pickleball players should try Diadem.
Have a listen to Rick and AJ.
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Rick is joined by Dr. Erik Korem this week.
Erik Korem Bio: Leading the Future of Health and Performance in Pickleball
Korem is an innovative leader in human performance, bringing nearly 20 years of elite experience in sports science, performance coaching, and technology integration. His distinguished career spans across professional sports, collegiate athletics, and groundbreaking contributions to the fast-growing sport of pickleball.
Founder & CEO of AIM7: Dr. Korem’s creation of AIM7 marks a significant advancement in the sport of pickleball. This health and performance app leverages wearable and health data to deliver personalized exercise, recovery, and mental fitness plans, significantly enhancing players’ stress resilience and performance.
NFL and NCAA Pioneer: Dr. Korem has served as a performance coach and sports scientist in the NFL and with NCAA athletes, training Olympic gold medalists along the way. His expertise has shaped the careers of countless elite athletes.
He’s here to talk about all of that and more.
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Rick is joined by David Marcus, the founder of EcoGrip this week.
Note: A biodegradable tennis / pickleball grip: a high performance grip for racket sports, which decomposes naturally within one year.
David had the idea for a biodegradable overgrip while traveling around eco-friendly Ireland in 2008. In 2010 I finally found a highly skilled industrial chemist in Australia and told him about my green idea. He joined our company. After several years of trial and error together our small team developed a great patent pending polymer for the overgrips. During the very hot summer of 2013 we play-tested EcoGRIP Smooth and Hi-Tac in 10 different countries with 30 excellent tennis coaches and players including a young teen player from California named Cici Bellis. No players were told the grips were eco-friendly. Every one of the players told us the grip played excellent, felt great and lasted longer than their current overgrips.* When we told them the grips would safely biodegrade in one year after changeout … they were blown away.
EcoGrip Hi–Tac overgrips use a slow-release formula and small perforations to offer much longer tack and superior sweat absorption.
Decomposes naturally in the environment within 1 year. Good for your game & great for the environment.
Makes a great holiday gift for a tennis/pickleball player.
