DALLAS, TX – Ty McGuffin was a vocal courtside supporter of his father, Tyson, at the PPA Tour's Selkirk Kansas City Open earlier this month, especially during the men's final against Connor Garnett.

Last Wednesday, the roles were reversed in Tennessee as Ty made his Junior PPA debut at the Bristol Sportsplex in the boys singles category (ages 8 to 12).

Tyson and his wife, Meg, were front and center to watch their son compete.

“It was definitely a proud moment for me as a father,” said Tyson. “Ty has been watching me since day one. This summer, he’s come to a handful of tournaments and he’s been on my bench cheering me on, so I think through all that, it built some competitive juices. He was dying to play in a tournament.”

Tyson knew Ty would be challenged by more experienced players, so he shared some words of wisdom with his boy to keep him calm and relaxed before hitting the court.

Tyson wanted Ty to simply enjoy the moment and soak everything in.

“I told him to lower the expectations and focus on having fun out there,” he explained. “It’s not about winning or losing.”

Nevertheless, Ty earned his first career victory by defeating Drake Johnson 15-4 to close out his day in style.

It was a solid display of resilience following three consecutive defeats. 

“Ty lost to [eventual gold-medalist] Ari Chandra and Marshall Clark, two studs out on the court with crazy talent on the junior circuit,” noted Tyson. “I didn’t think he was ready. He’s only played a handful of times. He’s more of a soccer player at this point, but he loves to be active and he’s personable as can be. I think the sky's the limit for him.”

As for the veteran pickleballer's thoughts on the Junior PPA's efforts to grow the sport?

Two enthusiastic thumbs up and high-fives aplenty.

“The PPA has done a great job getting the Juniors going,” praised Tyson. “The sport is only getting younger, and just seeing my son out there competing, having fun and meeting new kids, that’s what life is all about.”