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Pickleball for a Cure
Stop Alzheimer's Now is proud to join forces with the Pickleball community across the country to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's research!
Why Pickleball?
The fastest-growing sport in America, pickleball has tremendous physical, mental, and emotional health benefits that can help reduce risk factors for Alzheimer’s. The sport helps maintain cognitive function through mental focus and acuity, as well as creates a sense of community and belonging, eliminating a sense of social isolation that often accompanies the onset of Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. The pickleball community is embracing our mission as a natural partnership, and we’re grateful to have a passionate group of pickleball pros serving as ambassadors and supporting our fundraising efforts.
Pick up a paddle and join us!
Zane Navratil
Zane Navratil is a professional pickleball player and instructor who has been involved in the sport for nearly 10 years, ranking as high as #1 in Men’s Singles according to the World Pickleball Rankings. In addition to competing in pro tournaments, he regularly teaches pickleball clinics across the country. Zane has made the sport his full-time career, and off the court he can be found spending time with his wife and their two dogs...read more.
Altaf Merchant
Altaf Merchant started playing pickleball for fun, but quickly became enamored with the sport. His first US Open was in 2018, where he earned two silver medals. As a pro player, Merchant was among the top in the game, medaling in many professional tournaments including the US Open and US Nationals. He is now the #1 Senior Pro according to Senior Pro Tour rankings. In 2023, he won the US Open, Masters, and Tournament of Champions, and is still going...read more.
Jayson Harris
Jayson Harris and his wife Hannah both grew up playing all of the teams sports and then got introduced to pickleball in 2020. They owned a coffee company for a few years in Winter Park, CO and used every excuse possible to get out and play Pickleball in between work hours. In 2022, Jayson took the plunge and went full time into pickleball accepting a position as the Head Pickleball Pro at the Steamboat Tennis and Pickleball Center...read more.
Hartland Jones
Hartland Jones is an elite athlete, powerful and precise on the pickleball court and always entertaining to watch. He is a professional pickleball player, he spearheaded the pickleball program at the Daniel Island Club (number 2 in the country for racket sports), and he leads pickleball events for underserved youth. His natural talent, unrivaled work rate, and passion for learning has propelled him to an elite level in multiple sports...read more.
Courtney Zalinski
Courtney Zalinski, a dynamic force and a rising star in the pickleball world.
In 2023, Courtney finished the year ranked #45 Pro Mixed Doubles on the PPA Tour, and already notched an impressive win against the #19 player in February 2024.
Courtney's matches have been featured on the Tennis Channel and Amazon Prime/PickleballTV, earning her a growing fanbase and a reputation for thrilling performances. She took up pickleball in 2022, bringing with her a rich tennis background...read more.
Olivia McMillan
Olivia McMillan is a professional pickleball player born and raised in Charleston, SC. A former Division 1 tennis player at The College of Charleston, Olivia earned her degree in Corporate Communications. After discovering pickleball in 2018, she left the corporate world in April 2023 to pursue the sport full-time. She is a touring pro, heads pickleball programming at The Daniel Island Club, and is sponsored by PPA/MLP with partnerships including SANS, Gearbox, Spin-it Apparel, and Ria Eyewear...read more.
Carlos Di Laura
Carlos Di Laura was born in Lima, Peru and moved to the U.S in 2001. Coming from a heavy tennis background and family, Carlos was a Big XII champion with Texas Tech University Men's Tennis team in 2016. At Texas Tech, he met his wife Felicity and just welcomed their baby son Carlos James (CJ) in May 2024.
Carlos is based in Austin, TX, where he trains full time, coaches pickleball, owns The Lab ATX, and works part-time for ProXR Pickleball (35 Capital)...read more.
Henry Boyle
Henry Boyle is 29 years old from Hillingdon in West London, England. Henry played high level tennis as a nationally ranked junior and came to the USA on a tennis scholarship to play college tennis, playing at nationally ranked top 50 Chestnut Hill College in NCAA Division 2.
He is the owner & director of Carolina Tennis & Pickleball. The organization partners with the town of Carolina Beach, town of Kure Beach & Beau Rivage Resort in Wilmington NC to offer affordable coaching to the community...read more.