Rachel Summers: Approaching Pro Pickleball and Her Future with Intention
Rachel Summers: Approaching Pro Pickleball and Her Future with Intention
How one pro juggles medical school, Army Reserve service, and being a signed PPA pro player—she's playing the long game
In recent months, I’ve met some seriously sharp young adults working on going pro in pickleball, and now seems like the time to do it. Ten years ago would’ve been an even better time, but now’s the next best time the rocket ship is launching in a big way. I became interested in what the going-pro journey might look like for these aspiring pros, and started digging into the stories of dozens of recent PPA pros. As I researched, one profile stood out as different—in good ways—from the others.
Rachel Summers is a 26-year-old, signed Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) pro athlete. She’s also in her third year of medical school at Florida International University. And she’s in the Army Reserves. This combination makes for one very busy young adult.
Her work ethic alone might’ve prompted me to reach out, but she additionally had some sponsors that stood out as different from those of other pros. I sent her an Instagram message, asking if she’d be willing to chat since I wanted to explore my assessment.
My assessment was—and remains—that she’s doing this pro thing her own way, and that she indeed has a vision for life bigger than only pickleball. There was a groundedness about her story I wanted to talk about, and I also wanted to know how on earth she juggles it all.
My assessment was—and remains—that she’s doing this pro thing her own way, and that she indeed has a vision for life bigger than pickleball.
Listen. I understand and in many ways admire people going all-in on their pro pickleball dreams. (The working title for my in-progress second book is Dear Fellow Dreamer, after all.) But given my interest in substantial living and not chasing figurative shiny objects, I was very much intrigued by the intentional way Rachel Summers is approaching something as seductive as professional pickleball.
As I share snippets of my conversation, I think you’ll see how there is another approach to going pro, and that it might be possible to do it, enjoy it, and pursue goals beyond pro pickleball.
Sponsorships
I mentioned earlier that there was a creativity in her sponsorships that intrigued me. Most athletes are sponsored by paddle companies. Rachel is sponsored by the brand Selkirk, but she was also sponsored by a recovery sandal brand and a sock brand. I asked if she had a mentor for the business aspect of this sport and navigating partnerships but no, she has just figured it all out herself. As she said, “[The way I see it], I’m not at the level where I need a person; I can figure it out.” Her approach was to gutsily reach out to new companies and ask how she could help out.
After she won the US Open Pickleball Championships in the 4.0 division she walked directly over to the Babolat booth and said, “Hey, I’m playing with your paddle, and I just won the 4.0 division. Do you want to sponsor me?” They did want to, and their sponsorship was mutually beneficial enough to sign for another year.
She went on to say, “After a good year with MLP (Major League Pickleball) and PPA, when my other contract was ending, I reached out to probably 10 companies and saw who made the best offer for covering travel expenses, that kind of thing.”
Scrappy, Rachel, scrappy. You rarely get what you don’t ask for, and she’s proof that it literally never hurts to reach out and see what your options even are.
Advice to aspiring pros
I asked, “Is there anything you wish you knew or that you think aspiring pro players should know?”
Her advice boiled down to a couple things:
Have a sponsor or multiple sponsors to financially support the traveling and to take the pressure off tournaments. Otherwise you’ll be stressed about just breaking even with winnings. Try to find others to share expenses with.
She recommended getting creative with resources. One specific idea is to look for host families that put up referees and families and players. Post on the local Facebook group something like “I’m a (signed) player coming to town for the such-and-such tournament. Is there anyone willing to put me up?”
Be prepared for what you’re signing up for. Tournament life isn’t easy. You might arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday, and you’re there until Saturday or Sunday. It’s a grind living on the road, eating out all the time. It takes a lot of time planning and booking everything, acclimating to the elevation differences and differences in humidity.
The plan for pickleball
When I asked, “What’s your plan for pickleball?” She responded with, “We’ll just see what happens. My main focus is school.” Rachel shared that when she was drafted to an MLP team, she got a lot of people asking, “Are you sure?” With the insinuation being that maybe she should bail on medical school, and go all in on professional pickleball.
For many, this might be a tempting decision. It wasn’t for Rachel, though, to choose to move forward with the bigger plan she is solidly committed to see through. Later in our conversation, she said something I took note of. “Even if I wasn’t in med school, I probably wouldn’t have gone all in on pickleball. You put a lot more pressure on it if you do. You have sponsors you have to perform for. [The way I’m doing it], school is all the pressure, pickleball is all fun.”
She loves the game and has loved her experiences traveling for pickleball and playing with friends. As previously mentioned, she played two years on an MLP team, entering the draft on a whim.
She was selected for the Bay Area Breakers in one of the last rounds, and remembers being considered an “unknown” and how podcasters were analyzing her as one of the “new girls.” She ended up having a great experience with a great coach, a great team, and great team leadership. And as a team they went on to win back-to-back Challenger-division championships.
Balancing it all
She likes all the things she’s working on, and has been able to manage a very full plate. When I asked how she balances everything and has time for pickleball, she responded candidly. “I don’t get in as much practice as I’d like, and that’s tough. [For many other pros], it’s their full-time job. Before tournaments I make an effort to train and get ready. I mostly drill, and make sure to get to tournaments a day or two early. It’s a balance for sure, but the tournaments kind of keep me going during med school.”
At the end of our conversation, she shared the following story which captures the juggling act she seems to be managing with finesse.
In March 2023, she was committed to play in the Daytona Beach MLP event. It started on a Thursday, and her boyfriend drove her 250+ miles from Miami the day before. In order to get a bye for Friday morning, she had to win three matches on Thursday. And she really needed that bye on Friday because she had a final back in Miami on Friday morning.
She won the three matches Thursday, drove back to Miami that same day for the final the next morning. She took the final—quickly—and immediately drove back to Daytona Beach to play in an afternoon match.
Rachel doesn’t seem to be easily rattled, and this behind-the-scenes glimpse into how she juggles medical school, a relationship, and professional pickleball is evidence of that. She just did what she needed to do, and trusted that it would all work out. It obviously did. And given the long-view approach she takes to life, it seems likely things will continue to. You can follow Rachel’s journey on Instagram here (@rachelsummers.pickleball).
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