Meet Tracie Hotchner
Author, journalist, radio host, podcaster and unapologetically pickleball-obsessed amateur.
For nearly 20 years, Tracie Hotchner has been a trusted voice in broadcast journalism—hosting nationally syndicated radio shows, bestselling-author conversations, and a wide range of award-winning pet podcasts on NPR, Sirius/XM, and her own pet podcast network, Tracie Hotchner Pets. She brings that same energy and instinct to engage certified pickleball coaches in practical conversations about the sport that obsesses her.
Tracie is not a pro - she’s not pretending to be - which makes her the best person to get valuable information because she’s an amateur recreational player just like you. She knows that reaching your own personal best is within reach with professional coaching advice about strategy, equipment, mechanics and the mind game.
After years of serious dedication to singles tennis (doubles didn’t feel fast enough for her), Tracie gave up on it in 2019 when she couldn't find enough 4.0 women singles players. In 2020 she tried pickleball on a lark, despite the ridiculous name and what looked like an inelegant, not-too-athletic sport. Amazingly she was hooked! Pickleball seemed too easy but was deceptively challenging. The Covid lockdown was just underway so for the 1st year she played pickleball indoors in a cramped repurposed room in an old mill building with fans on and windows open (in 20 degree Vermont winter weather), wearing a mask, steamed-up Spec Rec prescription goggles, and latex gloves! She knew this was the beginning of something serious if she wanted to play even in those constricting conditions.
Fast forward to 2025 - after two years of competing in dozens of tournaments up and down the East Coast, from Florida to Maine - Tracie burned out from the relentless weekend travel and quest for competition partners, despite happy results (the rack behind her in the recording studio holds some of the fun medals she won).
She came away from competition gratified by winning but humbled by how much more she wanted to know and learn! After taking clinics, PB camps and private lessons with numerous pros, she settled into her happy place at True Pickleball Club in Latham, New York, a purpose-built, state-of-the-art indoor pickleball facility. Four to five times a week she drives one hour each way from Vermont to have private lessons, compete in leagues and join a throng of equally obsessed players for two hours of competitive open play. She’s that hooked on the game that she’ll go any distance for the speed, the power, the challenge, the laughs and the pure joy of improving!
Tracie is living proof that this sport disregards gender and age.To satisfy her love of the game at a highly competitive level, she makes some of those hour-long trips at night for advanced level open play from 8:00 to 10:00 PM, almost always against male and younger players, some of whom are literally one-third her age. They don’t know (or care) that Tracie’s 75th birthday is behind her or that at 74 she had a total knee replacement to get quicker to the kitchen (it worked!) Pickleball is about performance and love of the game - everybody just wants to share a great time and wants to get better - which is what inspired this show.