Jenna Bandy is the definition of an all-around athlete.

Bandy played collegiate basketball at Cal State Monterey Bay and turned her post-grad career into a sports content creation machine with millions of followers on Instagram and YouTube. She even holds a Guinness World Record for the farthest football thrown into a target by a female at 90 feet. 

“I love sports. I’m just such a competitive spirit and it’s molded me into who I am today. Without sports, I’d be bland and boring,” she said. “I don’t know where I’d be without sports.”

Given Bandy's impressive sports background, it’s no surprise that she loves to hit the pickleball court.

“I came to love pickleball during COVID, but surprisingly I’ve never played tennis. Of all the sports I play, I never got into racket sports,” she admitted. “I played a little bit of ping pong growing up, but pickleball was completely new for me.”

Despite having never picked up a paddle, Bandy was hooked right away.

“Pickleball is the perfect mesh of finesse, power, IQ, skill, and agility. It’s just a perfect sport,” she praised. “I’m addicted to it, and it’s something that I could play for the rest of my life.”

Bandy's basketball skills certainly help on the 20x44, especially when it comes to footwork. 

“I use lateral movements I picked up that translate over to pickleball,” she said.

As for her signature pickleball shot...

“I feel like my overhead for pickleball is insane. I feel like people don’t expect a girl to have that kind of power when it comes to having an overhead,” mentioned Bandy. “I think I got that power from football.”

In terms of rating her skills, Bandy believes she's currently 4.0.

“But if I played constantly, I could hit that 5.0 level,” she insisted.  

Aside from being a regular pickleballer, Bandy posts pickleball content on both her YouTube channel and Instagram account. She shares hilarious moments on the court and gives viewers a glimpse into her personality. 

“I play golf, football, basketball, softball, and I throw pickleball in there because I love it. People love it,” noted Bandy. “And it’s taking off in the sports world, so I want to be a part of it.”

Bandy has met several pickleball pros and participated in the Deep Eddy Vodka Celebrity Pickleball Showdown. One of her favorites to watch is Tyson McGuffin, whose bold personality mimics hers.

“I think it’s so much more marketable when you have that personality and you are giving that charisma and you’re being expressive on the court. That’s how I am when I play all my sports, and people relate to you when they can see your humanity,” said Bandy. “We’re not just athletes, we’re actual humans who’ve been working so hard. We have these emotions and we’re unafraid to be expressive.” 

With Bandy’s talent and love for the game, we need to get her on the pro court ASAP.