Just One More Game

An entertaining look at the meteoric rise of pickleball and one player's joyful obsession with the game
Just One More Game is Frank's account of abandoning herself to a sport loved by millions (and hated by plenty of others). As she tries to understand its hold on America and herself, Frank takes readers far and wide, from PickleCon to Pickle Palooza, into the sport's roots and its viral rise, and along on her quixotic quest to qualify for the pickelballing big-time.
Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in North America and has been for some time. In 2017, there were 3 million avid players in the United States, and by 2023, that number had grown to 13.6 million. With over 68,000 courts across the country, a burgeoning professional league, and the sport targeting the 2032 Olympics, it shows no sign of slowing down.
The game was born in Washington State in 1965, and so was author Clare Frank, but she didn't encounter the game until 2021, when she got roped into joining a neighborhood friend's game. Despite being mystified by the court dimensions, the equipment, and especially the lingo (whose kitchen was being violated?), it wasn't long before the retired firefighter's competitive drive kicked in. And then she was in deep: joining "underground" games, shaking off injuries, playing in local tournaments, and traveling to Mexico for clinics.
This fun read will be welcomed by pickleballers old and new.

Clare Frank started firefighting in California at 17 and was promoted up the ranks, becoming the state's first and only female chief of fire protection. Along the way, she earned a BS in fire administration, an MFA in creative writing, and a JD. She has lectured at colleges, universities, and state and national fire conferences, and lives near Lake Tahoe with her husband and always a dog or two. Burnt is her first book.