MELANIE FELICIANO became a certified instructor with the International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association (IPTPA) in August, 2023.

Melanie grew up playing tennis and continued to play in leagues as a young adult. When a good friend from high school introduced her to pickleball in July, 2021, Melanie found pickleball to be a natural progression from tennis but was surprised at how challenging it is to master the game. After playing pickleball for the fifth time, Melanie was hooked on pickleball.

Melanie has earned medals in various tournaments she has entered. Her biggest win so far was placing 2nd in women’s doubles at the Lone Star Classic tournament in 2023.

Melanie loves pickleball, because it is a challenge to master; it involves so much strategy and skill to know when to play the soft and fast game. Plus, pickleball is a sport that can be played into old age. Melanie finds it fascinating that she can break a sweat playing pickleball, especially because the pickleball court is approximately one-fourth the size of a tennis court.

Melanie also loves pickleball because of the camaraderie it engenders. She has met so many interesting people through the sport and made a lot of good friends.

Through pickleball instruction and drills, Melanie enjoys introducing people to pickleball, showing them the mechanics of hitting various strokes, and teaching basic strategies of the game. Depending on what her students want to accomplish, Melanie can equip students with the fundamental skills needed to play recreationally or competitively.