Pickleball’s undisputed number-one super-fan, Kathy Demetri, is used to being called “Crazy Kathy.”
But she’s not crazy – just way more devoted to having a good time than most people. And her infectious passion for pickleball fun is contagious both for those on or off the court.
If you’ve attended a high-level pickleball tournament, chances are you’ve both seen and heard Demetri. She’s the 60-year-old woman roaming the grandstand while squeaking a rubber chicken in one hand and holding a wooden stick in the other hand that’s attached to a laminated photo of a player on the court.
And she’s shouting, “Let’s go!” or “C’mon!” or “Woo!” or a combination of those exhortations. And it’s filled with the kind of exuberance that comes after bolting a mini-bottle of her signature beverage, Fireball cinnamon flavored whisky.
“I’m trying to work out a sponsorship deal with Fireball,” she said.
It’s hard to imagine that underneath this presentation of pickleball delirium is a nuclear engineer with a pretty good idea of what she is doing and why she is doing it.
“I cheer for everyone,” Demetri said. “But I enjoy those people who do better when people are cheering for them.”
And there’s nothing like getting cheered by…
