Prolite is proud to announce that one of our talented athletes, Daniel Colón, has recently been drafted by the Burien Bruisers!
Daniel recently tried out for a pickleball league, Wednesday Night Pickleball at The Ranch, in Washington state. For those familiar with Major League Pickleball and the Arizona Pickleball League/Tuesday Night Pickleball on YouTube, this league will be a similar team format consisting of 8 teams and will feature some of the best pickleball players in the state. The matches will be streamed on YouTube starting July 12th and the league will run for 8 weeks.
Daniel is very excited to play with the Burien Bruisers, and we couldn't be happier for him!
Meet Daniel Colón
"I am often asked when I was introduced to the game of pickleball and if I played another racquet sport prior to pickleball. I always respond with, “I grew up playing,” but this is quite an oversimplification. I learned to play and love pickleball at a very young age when my parents built their home with a backyard pickleball court in 1994. The first paddles my parents purchased were Prolite (ULTRA-LITE Paddle Co. at the time), and they still have those paddles today! As such, I can honestly say I have played with Prolite paddles my entire life! How many players can say they’ve been around pickleball and played with Prolite for over 25 years?
For me, playing pickleball often involved my parents and sister as well as extended family since my uncle also had a court in his backyard. It was a fun way for us to share some friendly competition at family get-togethers, but it wasn’t until middle school that I started learning and applying the actual rules of the game as well as playing with friends. Part of growing up in Washington state, where pickleball originated, meant that this game was part of the physical education curriculum, and you will hear local players say they recall playing pickleball in school when they were younger. In high school, I learned more about the sport as there was a class comprised of an entire semester of pickleball, tennis, and badminton. I took the class three times because I loved it! After high school, my focus on college and career meant I played pickleball less frequently and usually only when I visited home.
It wasn’t until the summer of 2018 that I started playing regularly again. My sister actually prompted my return to the sport because she had started playing again in the Olympia area, and she challenged me to do the same. I started noticing people playing pickleball at the public courts around Seattle, where I reside, and thought it would be interesting to see how the sport had grown and changed. I was amazed at the size of the pickleball community and the sport’s rapid growth and popularity. I was easily hooked again, and in 2019, I decided to test my skills by playing in my first tournament. While I didn’t come away with a medal from that event, I knew that playing tournaments was something I wanted to continue doing as I strove to improve my level of play. Fast forward to today, I have played in numerous tournaments across multiple states, made countless friendships, taught the game through lessons, and fell in love once again with the sport that “I grew up playing.” I look forward to witnessing the continuing evolution of pickleball and Prolite’s continuing role in this exciting evolution!"
-Daniel Colón