Park City’s own Maureen O’Malia has hit the ground running in the National Pickleball League’s inaugural season. In this six-team, professional league, which is reserved for players ages 50 and up, O’Malia’s OKC (Oklahoma City) Punishers sit tied for first with the Austin Ignite.
Through two of the league’s five regular season weeks of competition, the Punishers have racked up six match wins to two losses. They sit 10 points ahead of the Ignite and the third-ranked Indy Drivers, as measured by overall points differential.
The NPL hosts all of their matches, which conclude with their Oct. 13-15 championship weekend, at the rapidly expanding Chicken N Pickle sports dining chain. (Its menus tout “wood-fired chicken” and “tasty tots.”) The Topgolf-esque spot opened shop in 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri, and has since expanded to six more locations, with eight more on the way.
Chicken N Pickle has pristine indoor, climate-controlled courts. O’Malia, however, finds the noise levels can be difficult to manage. Even as a former Division 1 tennis player, at Santa Clara University, where crowds can challenge the traditionally reserved atmospheres of that sport, she has to combat raucous teammates and fans who challenge her laser focus.
It is never too difficult to reign in any lost focus or motivation, however, as there is a $100,000 cash prize on the line for this season’s winning team.
O’Malia isn’t shy about her aspirations either, saying “The goal is to win the league, to come in first.”
As for the sport and league’s future, O’Malia, a pickleball coach at the MARC, is resoundingly hopeful for continued growth and expansion. She herself was initially hesitant about picking up the sport, until her mom gave her the push to try it in 2018, and she sees no reason why more tennis players can’t and won’t continue to adopt the game and contribute toward the league’s expanding talent pool.
“I do have a tennis background, so it was pretty easy to pick up,” said O’Malia of pickleball. “I love both … I don’t see why there should be a rift (between players of either). She is hopeful the league could see further expansion out West in the future, where the closest team to O’Malia’s home in Park City is the Denver Iconics.
O’Malia has been teaching the sport at the MARC since 2021, where she is available for anyone seeking a private or group lesson. She sees Park City as a perfect example of a western city where the sport is rapidly gaining traction. “We have a great pickleball community of all ages and levels,” she said.
To keep up with O’Malia, the Punishers and all of the latest news in the NPL, utilize their website. Their season will continue July 29-30 with Week Three of competition at Chicken N Pickle’s Grand Prairie location, just outside of Dallas.