Audrey Banada is Raising a Family of Pickleball Pros
Last Edited
Sep 16 2024
Category
News
If your child said they were serious about going pro in pickleball, how would you react?
Obviously, if you're reading this website, there's a chance you'd be thrilled. If my son told me this, I'd be out on the court every single day with him.
So naturally, this highlight from the recent PPA Tour stop in Atlanta caught my attention:
That's Audrey Banada — who beat the Rohrabacher/Bright team with Sarah Ansboury at PPA's 2024 North Carolina Cup — playing with her son Demetric Marrero Jr.
They made it to the qualifiers as a mother-son team, a mainstay dynamic of high-level pickleball partnerships.
They join Ben & Collin Johns, Lucky & Yates Johnson, Jorja & JW Johnson, Leigh & Anna Leigh Waters who have all made pickleball a family affair.
But despite Audrey's history in sports, she says it was Demetric who convinced her to make pickleball the center of their family's world, not the other way around.
Related: What It’s Like Being a Pro Pickleball-Playing Mom
"He fell in love playing rec with the locals," Audrey told me in a text during the Atlanta tournament in September.
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It wasn't long before the game took over their family.
"His brother watched every single game that was on YouTube to the point where he told me he had no more matches to watch!"
So when Demetric said he wanted to take it seriously, Audrey simply listened and explained what that took.
Before long, he was being homeschooled so the two could get to work with training.
It Took Over Their Family
Audrey, an all-American tennis player at UMiami who still holds the record for most wins in doubles at that school, also quickly fell in love with pickleball.
She says before Demetric started playing at a high level, she started playing tournaments while her kids played locally with their father.
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Even though Audrey had no plans for her kids to love or play pickleball, here they were, watching her matches and rallying together as a family.
"Being able to play at a high level in front of my kids shows them what's possible," she said.
"When Sarah Ansboury and I took out Bright/Rohrabacher in April, my kids were right there in the stands. They saw it in real time. That's the gold right there. If their 'old lady mom' can compete and win, they can too."
Read Next: The Ideal Pickleball Doubles Partner: Players Describe Their Dream Teammate
The impact goes beyond her son Demetric, though. Audrey’s 5-year-old daughter, a lefty who can already hold her own in rallies, has taken a particular interest in the sport—especially after Anna Leigh Waters, her favorite player, gave her a handmade bracelet at a recent event.
“My dream is to see my daughter play mixed doubles with her brothers. That would be a wild dream!”
For Audrey, pickleball isn’t just about the wins. It’s about showing her children what’s possible and raising good humans along the way.
"My advice to parents? First, raise good people, then let the pickleball journey follow. It will all pay off in the end."
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