How pickleball can bring communities together

Can the fastest growing sport in America help heal a broken heart and create community for a marginalized group? One Tri-State man thinks so. Before Larry Blundred tried his hand at writing children’s books, he was a husband — facing an impossible loss. “My wife’s health was declining due to a brain tumor,” he said. Before he was an advocate for adaptive athletes, Blundred was in need of community himself — when a friend reached out — with an idea. “Come with me. I got something that you're gonna like, and it's going to help you. And it was Pickleball,” he said. Soon he had found his place, his paddle and his people.