As further proof of its dedication to building community and sharing pickleball, Chicken N Pickle is hosting para-pickleball events for players with disabilities. The folks at Chicken N Pickle found very few pickleball options for players with disabilities, so they decided to fill the need and give back to the community.
Taylor Nichols is the Adaptive Pickleball Coordinator at Chicken N Pickle and is one of the driving forces behind the push for adaptive pickleball programming. Nichols is an avid para-athlete and has played a variety of sports like softball, basketball, and wheelchair football for the Dallas Cowboys. When he got introduced to pickleball, he saw very few adaptive players on the court and wanted to change that.
Nichols found that pickleball is a great way to help people with disabilities meet their physical and social needs. When introduced to pickleball, he saw the sport as a great opportunity to motivate less athletically inclined individuals to get active. A lot of wheelchair sports involve chair-to-chair contact which many find unpleasant, but pickleball bypasses that unwanted contact. It is also super accessible. Nichols comments that pickleball is “easy to learn but hard to master.” He also calls it “the most inclusive sport” because oftentimes players in wheelchairs can compete with standing players.
Nichols also remarks that pickleball is a great way for isolated individuals to meet other people and build community.
Once Nichols came up with the idea for para-pickleball programming, he brought it to the leadership at Chicken N Pickle because of their devotion to building community. He was impressed by the measures they were already taking for the para-pickleball community—they were providing sports wheelchairs for people before Nichols approached them.
After making his pitch, the crew at Chicken N Pickle decided that there was a real need for para-pickleball and took Nichols on as an ambassador. In November of 2023, they hired him as their official Adaptive Pickleball Coordinator for all of their locations.
As of now, Chicken N Pickle has two sports wheelchairs and a docket of pickleball programs at each of its ten locations. They also work with outside partners and non-profits to put on fundraisers and other events.
Most para-pickleball events are clinics or open play. The goal is to give opportunities to new and experienced adaptive players: “We want to give opportunities for the beginners to get out and learn the sport, and we want to be able to provide opportunities for the experienced adaptive players.” Occasionally, Chicken N Pickle will host larger-scale “para-pickle” nights open to their adaptive players’ family and friends. Over 300 players have participated in Chicken N Pickle’s para-pickleball programs.
Financial expenses are one of the biggest hindrances to those with disabilities. Nichols comments that most pickleball players only have to worry about paying for paddles and maybe some shoes and balls, but adaptive players also have to worry about acquiring a three to eight-thousand-dollar wheelchair in order to play. Luckily, there are ways to break down these financial barriers.
Partnering with like-minded businesses that want to impact the world is a great first step toward supporting the adaptive pickle community. Partnerships can involve sponsorships, fundraisers, and other money-raising initiatives. Nichols also advises pickleball clubs that want to start serving their para-pickleball communities to partner up with local parks and recreation departments: “Get with the city and present your initiative to them.” The most important thing is to make pickleball “financially feasible” for “diverse communities.”
For Chicken N Pickleball, success and doing good for others are two sides of the same coin.
