Pickleball Hall of Fame Inductee Steve Wong Joins USA Pickleball As Vice President of Competition
The accomplished competitor and longtime pickleball leader fills new position at USA Pickleball.
PHOENIX – USA Pickleball, the National Governing Body for the sport of pickleball in the U.S., today named Steve Wong its Vice President of Competition. In this role, Wong will oversee USA Pickleball’s competition department with an emphasis on growing and streamlining all sanctioned tournament play, including National Championships, regional tournaments and general sanctioning.
In 2005, Wong was a charter board member and helped establish USA Pickleball. Along with fellow Hall of Fame inductee Mark Friedenberg, Wong was instrumental in building a structure for USAP, serving as its first webmaster and then as vice president during the organization’s first few years of operation. His vision and leadership have contributed to the immense growth and proliferation of the sport. The Seattle native returned to USA Pickleball in 2012 to serve as a co-director of the 2012 USA Pickleball National Championships.
“On behalf of our team, I am thrilled to welcome Steve back to USA Pickleball,” said Justin Maloof, USA Pickleball’s Chief Operating Officer. “Steve was one of the first contacts I had the pleasure of meeting when I started at USA Pickleball a dozen years ago and he’s been one of the most dedicated and impactful figures in pickleball over the last two decades.”
Throughout his time in pickleball which began back in 1991, Wong has been actively involved in virtually every facet of the sport. In 2005, he created his first paddle company, S-Type Sports, making it the third commercially marketed line of paddles in existence at the time. It was later renamed Onix Sports and sold to Escalade Sports in 2015. In 2019, Wong launched Armour Pickleball with several pickleball friends that joined him in a quest to enrich lives through the sport. As part of his agreement with USAP, he has stepped down as CEO of Armour Pickleball.
Wong also boasts an illustrious competitive career, competing in and winning many tournaments. Since 2009, he has won over 38 gold medals, 35 silver medals, and 27 bronze medals. He is a six-time USA Pickleball National Champion, Canadian Nationals Champion, US Open Medalist, and Bainbridge Cup Medalist.
Steve is also credited as the co-founder of Arizona’s Surprise Pickleball Association and has spearheaded fundraising with that group to build pickleball courts through the City of Surprise. The creation of these courts and those that followed, have helped elevate Surprise to a nationally recognized hub for the sport. For all his accomplishments, Steve was inducted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame in 2021.
“I am beyond ecstatic to join USA Pickleball once again in this role of Vice President of Competition,” Wong said. “I hope to incorporate my history and passion for the game to propel the sport to the next level and someday see pickleball in the Olympics. I’m looking forward to serving the pickleball community and I appreciate everyone’s support for USA Pickleball!”
###
About USA Pickleball
USA Pickleball is the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of pickleball in the United States. Its mission is to promote the development and growth of the sport while sanctioning events and providing annual members with premier tournaments, educational opportunities, player rankings, official rules and other exclusive benefits. USA Pickleball is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that is governed and operated by a Board of Directors and a national office staff, who provide the guidance and infrastructure for the continued expansion of the sport.
USA Pickleball Media Contact:
Melissa Zhang, Director of Communications & Content
mzhang@usapickleball.org
