“Pickleball is like a booster to me both on and off the court…….”

with Soumya Chaudhary

DOB:              10^th October 1996

State:             Bihar

City:               Patna

Club:              Bihar Pickleball Association

Soumya Chaudhary has a very interesting tale to tell about her life story with Pickleball. When she was in college she got to know about Pickleball from her friend Shalu Kapoor. She wanted to try out this new game and went to Ranjan Gupta, secretary of Bihar Pickleball Association. He introduced Pickleball to Soumya and put her under the guidance of Anand Singh. It is from there that her Pickleball journey started. She participated in National Championships representing Bihar. But things became a bit gloomy when Soumya shifted to Bengaluru for further studies.  

“I was not sure how to continue Pickleball when I shifted to Bengaluru. I knew that it is being played there but had no idea about courts and players. I was also scared that I could not communicate properly because of the language. But when I met Rajath Kankar sir, I was proved wrong. He introduced me to Prashanth Balakrishna sir and other Pickleball players. They are very supportive and I feel at home here. Although sometimes language creates a little bit of problem, but somehow we mange. ”

The girl from Patna uses Selkirk Latitude for her game because it is light weight, wider body and good grip. Soumya is grateful to Pickleball because it has given her a reason to stay fit and look after her health seriously.      

“I am basically an introvert. But Pickleball helped a a lot to open up in front of unknown people. As I have to travel for tournaments, I understood that I have to speak to people and make friends; otherwise I would be left alone. So Pickleball now is like a booster for me both on and off the court.”

Soumya’s main aim is to study hard and get settled in life. But Pickleball is always there in her mind. She wants to pursue the game as long as possible.

“I want it to be with me for the rest of my life. I don’t know how much I can do that. But I always dream of representing my country.”

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

• Bronze in Summer Utsav Pickleball Championship in Bangalore
• Silver in Nepal Open in Pokhara, Nepal
• Played for third place in 3^rd National Pickleball Championship
• Played for third place in 3^rd National Pickleball Championship