Rick Witsken Explained
Rick Witsken (born January 1972) is a former American tennis player and pickleball player,[1] [2] [3] tennis coach,[4] [5] and entrepreneur.[6] [7] He is the founder of Team Witsken and[8] [9] co-founder of the National Pickleball League (NPL).
Education
He was a State Champion in Carmel High School[10] in 1987 and 1988.[11] Witsken pursued a bachelor's degree in Sports Management and Marketing from the University of Alabama.[12] At the University of Alabama, he was an NCAA tennis player and a two-time All-American.[13] [14] [15]
Career
Witsken began his post-playing career working with his brother, Todd Witsken, at the Indianapolis Tennis Center. He was the director of tennis at Woodstock Country Club.[16] He coaches Zionsville Eagle Rec and is the head coach of the Zionsville girls and Carmel boys and girls middle school teams.
After his brother died in 1998, Witsken formulated Team Witsken Tennis in 2001. It is an organization that provides professional instruction to tennis and pickleball players in Indianapolis. In 2010, Witsken represented the US in the Tony Trabert Cup in New Zealand. In 2011, he and Matt Schiller defeated Matt Allare and Steve Williams 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in the men's open final of the Bernard Master Tennis Classic.
In 2021, he organized a 2-day match at Brickway Tennis and Pickleball Club.[17] In 2014, Witsken started competing in pickleball tournaments professionally.[18] Witsken founded the first public educational middle school pickleball team at Zionsville Middle School.[19]
Witsken and his wife, Bridget Witsken, lobbied to bring a pickleball tournament to Indianapolis and secured the Indianapolis Pickleball Open, an Association of Pickleball Professionals tournament.[20]
In 2020, Witsken brought the first-ever pro pickleball tournament, the Indy Open, to Zionsville.[21] In December 2022, he established NPL with Beth Bellamy. www.USA-NPL.com[22] In 2022, Witsken hosted the Pickleball tournament, the APP $35k Indianapolis Open, at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville, Indiana, sponsored by Arnold Meyer Realty.[23] [24] In January 2023, Nike Pickleball Camps, a division of US Sports Camps, teamed up with Witsken to offer multiple camp sessions at different locations in the US.
Accomplishments
Witsken is a two-time IHSAA State Singles Champion and Indiana State Champion.[25] He received four gold medals at the US Open Pickleball Championships.[26] [27] [28] In 2019, Witsken won gold in Men's Open Doubles at International Indoor Pickleball Championship.[29] He earned gold in Pro Men's Doubles in Atlanta, Georgia[30] and at the Association of Pickleball Professionals Sacramento Open in 2022.[31]
He was world-ranked on the ATP Tour in both singles and doubles. Witsken is ranked #1 on the APP Senior Pro Men's Standings and Pickleball Professional in America for Pro-Seniors.
Personal life
Witsken lives with his wife and three children in Zionsville, Indiana.
Notes and References
- Web site: Kennedy . Ryan . 2021-05-27 . Rick Witsken: Earning His Medals . 2023-07-24 . Towne Post Network - Local Business Directory . en-US.
- Web site: admin . 2022-05-31 . APP Tour New York City Open – 5 Takeaways – Koooooop . 2023-07-24 . NML Pickleball . en.
- Web site: 2014-10-20 . Tide Tennis Throwback . 2023-07-24 . University of Alabama Athletics . en.
- Web site: Reporter . Melissa Gibson The Lebanon . 2022-10-05 . Pickleball pro . 2023-07-24 . Reporter.net . en.
- Web site: Fans and athletes flock to region for first ever Indianapolis Pickleball Open . 2023-07-24 . The Indianapolis Star . en-US.
- Web site: 2022-01-17 . Bio – Rick Witsken - Suncoast Pickleball Association . 2023-07-24 . suncoastpickleball.com . en-US.
- Web site: Rick Witsken . 2023-07-24 . Paddletek Pickleball . en.
- Web site: Day 3 Notebook: Pickleball Action Is Heating Up .
- Web site: Dow . Julie . 2017-07-04 . Team Witsken: Building better futures with tennis . 2023-07-24 . WISH-TV Indianapolis News Indiana Weather Indiana Traffic . en-US.
- Web site: September 28, 2022 . Pickleball's popularity explodes in Indiana, across the country . 2023-07-24 . wthr.com . en-US.
- Web site: Doyel: Tennis in Indy has a great past, but murky future . 2023-07-24 . The Indianapolis Star . en-US.
- Web site: 2022-09-13 . Witsken's week includes U.S. Open, match against Brees • Current Publishing . 2023-07-24 . en-US.
- Web site: All-time great high school teams: Boys tennis - North Central 1988 . 2023-07-24 . The Indianapolis Star . en-US.
- Web site: Witsken, Schiller defeat OSU duo in open final . 2023-07-24 . The Columbus Dispatch . en-US.
- Web site: Witsken, Schiller defeat OSU duo in open final . 2023-07-24 . The Columbus Dispatch . en-US.
- Web site: Nike Pickleball Camps Announces Partnership With APP #1 Senior, Rick Witsken . 2023-07-24 . PRWeb.
- Web site: Hanley . Kit . 2021-12-12 . The fastest growing sport in America -- Pickleball makes its way to Terre Haute . 2023-07-24 . WTHI-TV . en.
- Web site: Coach Profile Camp Director - Rick Witsken .
- Web site: Meet The Pros - Rick Witsken . 2023-07-24 . PickleballCentral.com . en.
- Web site: 2021-05-24 . Inaugural pickleball tournament coming to Zionsville • Current Publishing . 2023-07-24 . en-US.
- Web site: July 12, 2022 . Pioneers of pickleball in Indianapolis continue to see growth in the sport . 2023-07-24 . wthr.com . en-US.
- Web site: Boss . Todd . Pickleball's Alphabet Soup: A Guide To All The Acronyms In The Sport . 2023-07-24 . Forbes . en.
- Web site: 2022-05-23 . Jillian and Ryan learn how to play Pickleball from a pro . 2023-07-24 . Fox 59 . en-US.
- Web site: APP $35K Indianapolis Open hosted by Rick Witsken Sponsored by Arnold Meyer Realty . 2023-07-24 . www.pickleballtournaments.com.
- Web site: 2021-11-05 . Current Senior Pro Pickleball Rankings (as of November 5, 2021) . 2023-07-24 . Pickleball University . en-US.
- Web site: Fans and athletes flock to region for first ever Indianapolis Pickleball Open . 2023-07-24 . The Indianapolis Star . en-US.
- Web site: by . 2021-08-20 . Sr Pro Men's Doubles GOLD - 2021 US Open - Moore/Witsken vs Morariu/Granot, Pickleball Channel, on August 20, 2021 at 7:00 am - ExpertPickleball.com . 2023-07-24 . expertpickleball.com . en-US.
- Web site: See photos of professional, amateur pickleballers battling in Zionsville . 2023-07-24 . www.indystar.com . en.
- Web site: Locally: Tyson McGuffin takes home two medals at International Indoor Pickleball Championship The Spokesman-Review . 2023-07-24 . www.spokesman.com.
- Web site: Pickleball Tournament Coming to Johnson Ranch Pickleball Complex . 2023-07-24 . en.
- Web site: Johnson Ranch plays home to Northern California's first professional pickleball tournament . 2023-07-24 . goldcountrymedia.com . en.