Upcoming Events
Chi-town Chilly OpenSat, Feb 07Pickleball4All
3rd Annual Denver FundraiserSat, May 16Apex Pickleball Courts
Our Mission
Pickle Your Mind was founded in 2023 by Denver pickleball community leader, James Snyder, alongside co-founder Lucas Kane. James and Lucas grew up together in Winnetka, IL and have seen and experienced first-hand the importance and need for increased mental health awareness and programming especially in young people’s lives.
Our mission is to make people’s lives better through the growth of awareness and support for mental health in their communities through pickleball. The catalyst for this mission is through a two part vision: one part being the way pickleball directly improves people’s lives and mental health through the community, competition, and purpose it instills in the people who play, and the other part by creating forums for awareness, discussion, and fundraising to support mental health programs.
To date, we have hosted almost 200 people across 4 events and raised over $13,000 for mental health awareness and education (donated to our primary beneficiary, Erika's Lighthouse). We are so excited for what's next. Thanks for being a part of our mission!
James' Story
I have struggled with mental health my whole life - at least I know that now. Growing up I was an anxious child, but it wasn’t until late into my college years that I realized constant butterflies in my stomach were not normal. That an inability to relax in a movie theater or a sporting event was not a common way to live. Or crippling mood swings were not just something “to get through.” What is clear is that either increased education or reduction of mental health stigma at a young age would have helped me ask for help much earlier - which first happened my second semester of my senior year of college, after almost 22 years of living with anxiety and various battles with depression.
When I graduated from college and moved to Denver, Colorado, I was faced with even more stressors in my life. A new city. A new job. Hardly any friends. But I found pickleball. I found a community to bring me in, a sport to keep me active, and a passion that has grown everyday since. I have seen the effects of pickleball on my mental health first hand, so I say, "why not take it a step further?" Let's use this amazing forum of pickleball to grow deeper connections, more meaningful conversations, and raise awareness for mental health for all. Thank you for being a part of our journey.
Lucas' Story
For my 23rd birthday, I was visiting James in Denver for a Mt. Joy show. He approached me with the brilliant idea to combine his love for pickleball with raising awareness about mental health. James wanted me to be a part of the creation and operation of this organization. For something that he was so passionate about, all I could say was yes. The one problem: I had never played pickleball before in my life. We went out the very next day and his passion for the game was infectious (also, I was frustrated that I got smoked playing against him). Since then, I have been so thrilled to be a part of Pickle Your Mind. The mission was something that I completely bought into, and was eager to share with my community.
My mental health journey came to the light in my college years. I realized how much I was hiding my struggles from friends and family. When I finally started to seek mental health resources in therapy, I could not believe the improvement I began to see in my everyday life. Bringing my own personal mental health struggles to the light and being able to talk about mental health struggles with friends and family not only helped my mental health, but I was able to help others on their journey as well. I hope that we can use our platform to continue to help others on their mental health journey. Thank you for being a part of Pickle Your Mind!
Our goals
Community
We know that pickleball creates amazing community. Our goal is to help expand that community and get more people on the court. Human connection is one of the most powerful things in the world and we are exciting to bring more people together not only for pickleball but for mental health.
Conversation
Mental health is the most dangerous when we are silent. When we decide to not talk about it. Our hope is to encourage people to engage in conversation in the ways mental health effects them and those they love.
Pickleball
The fastest-growing sport in the world is the best forum to drive our missions. Let's get more people on the courts to experience a game that is both easy to pick up and impossible to master. It requires both physical energy and mental focus!
