DALLAS, TX – Sixty-seven-year-old Owen Mitchell is a local legend in my hometown of Mt. Dora, Florida.

Walk around the dozens of local pickleball courts and everyone knows his name. 

Back in 2023, Mitchell was crowned the National Senior Games Pickleball Champion for his age group at 4.5 to 5.0, and he has claimed five consecutive Florida State Championships in singles.

The decorated pickleballer also coaches, sharing valuable lessons with his students.

“Pickleball wasn't popular when I stumbled upon it about eight years ago and there were about 20 people who played. I had this big tennis background, so we were playing it like tennis,” said Mitchell. “I took one of the other best guys in the group and we went to a tournament in The Villages. We lost 11-0, 11-0, but that changed everything. It was the first time we saw things like the dinking game and the drop shot. These guys knew how to play.”

That inspired him to reach out to those players to learn the soft game. From there, he was all in. 

After collecting his fair share of gold medals, Mitchell decided to become a certified instructor. 

“I had time on my hands. My wife and I do full-time Christian marriage ministry and all of our seminars are on the weekend, so coaching gave me a purpose during the week,” he said. “I became an instructor not even to make money at it because I average only three lessons a week, but it gives me a purpose.” 

Mitchell has witnessed the remarkable uptick in popularity of America's fastest-growing sport firsthand, and he's adamant that he saw it coming.

“I knew the sport would explode. I could see the joy in people when they played. Their eyes would just light up. There's exercise, laughter, and it’s relatively inexpensive to play. You play for an hour and you get this great workout. You sweat a lot and your whole mindset changes,” he mentioned. “The rest of your day goes better because you feel like you’ve already won the day right off the bat. Whether I won or lost in pickleball, my day is already off to a tremendous start.”

Mitchell has hit with some of the top pros like Jay Devilliers and Tyson McGuffin at various tournaments and clinics.

He appreciated just how personable and genuine the interaction was.

“Pickleball doesn’t have entourages yet. Right now, the players are so accessible and still showing kindness to all the players and fans because they want to develop the sport,” noted Mitchell. “I hope that never changes.”

Mitchell is even sponsored by Engage Pickleball, helping them sell paddles in the area.

“In my opinion, the Pursuit Pro lineup of paddles are the best on the market,” he said. “Pickleball paddles aren't like tennis rackets. You can invest in one or two good paddles and that’s going to get you by.”

There's no denying Mitchell's love for pickleball, and it's people like him who make the sport extra special.