Upon hearing about the opening of Tampa Bay Pickleball at the Oldsmar Flea Market more than a year ago, Angelo Petricone felt compelled to lend a helping hand.
A highly skilled player, the 41-year-old Venezuela native set up DUPR nights not long ago at the air-conditioned indoor warehouse. Now, Tampa Bay Pickleball is the 11th-ranked DUPR club in the nation.
“He’s the guy that introduced us to DUPR,” said Eric Klaus, who, along with his sons Kennedy and Ben, founded Tampa Bay Pickleball. “He was the trigger to our success.”
“I saw a lot of potential in that place and said why not connect more players doing games competitively?” Recalled Petricone, who is an instructor at the Oldsmar facility.
“Angelo wanted to create a tournament environment and have players work on their rating without waiting to play in a tournament,” said Petricone’s wife, Yinaira, who works the front desk.
“I love this sport,” said Petricone, a former professional soccer player who began playing pickleball in 2021.
Having earned a bronze medal as a 3.0 player in his first tourney, Petricone advanced to the 5.0 level and has won nearly 20 amateur events.
“I thought if I keep practicing, I can win,” he said.
As for his advice to players, Petricone said, “Enjoy the game. You need to work hard and prepare.”
Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Pickleball
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