Taylor Nichols, Pickleball’s First Adaptive Triple Crown Winner, Looks Ahead to More Growth
Nichols, of Burleson, Texas, began playing pickleball two years ago.
By Bob Reinert
Red Line Editorial
In the first year that adaptive divisions were included in the Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships, Taylor Nichols won a Triple Crown by taking home three gold medals.
While proud of the individual achievement, the 32-year-old from Burleson, Texas, also saw something even bigger at play.
“It means the world to me, honestly, to do that,” Nichols said. “I think what is even better than that and what’s more satisfying than that is just seeing how much (adaptive pickleball) has grown this year.”
Nichols won the wheelchair coed singles, coed doubles and hybrid doubles (with a standing partner) 4.5 division titles at the national championships taking place this week in Mesa, Arizona. Nichols, who is paralyzed from the chest down following a spinal cord injury while competing in motocross at age 26, has spent almost seven years in intense rehabilitation to strengthen his core. He began playing pickleball less than two years ago.
“I’m a competitor,” said Nichols, who also plays for the USA Wheelchair Football League champion Dallas Cowboys, among other sports. “You never know what’s going to happen to you. You can do anything that you want to do. An athlete is an athlete. That’s kind of my motto. Anything’s possible with hard work and the right mindset.”
Nichols discovered pickleball while on a date at a Chicken N Pickle restaurant in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It was like a light switch had been flipped, he said, and his connection to the sport was immediate.
“I didn’t know anything about pickleball then,” he said. “This sport really and truly could be for anyone. It doesn’t matter your limitations. It doesn’t matter if you’re a wheelchair user. It doesn’t matter your age, your gender, whatever.”
Key for adaptive pickleball’s appeal, Nichols said, is that it doesn’t necessitate contact, like some other wheelchair sports, and the intensity can be dialed up or down, depending on each player’s preference.
“With pickleball, you can make it as intense as you want it,” he said. “It’s just like any other sport. You’ve got to put in the work. You’ve got to put in the time.”
Nichols became so immersed in the sport that last year at this time, he became national adaptive pickleball coordinator for Chicken N Pickle, a national chain with 11 locations. He also co-founded Para Pickleball Program, a nonprofit based in Dallas.
“In that year, I’ve seen so much growth,” said Nichols, who has worked with hundreds of players over that time. “There is a need for it. We have the players.”
Nichols said he was approached by many people at nationals who wanted to learn more about the adaptive game. He hopes to use his Triple Crown to show others with and without disabilities that they can overcome challenges in their lives.
“You can still do all these great things,” he said. “I try to use that as my motivation and to help others. I try to use my platform to … advocate for inclusion.”
Now that the door has been opened at pickleball nationals for adaptive athletes, Nichols wants to see those divisions grow at the event.
“There’s hundreds of others out there that are wanting to compete,” he said. “I saw this sport as something that could be for everyone. It’s very easy to learn.
“There’s been a lot of growth in the past year. The sky is the limit, right? There’s a lot more growth to go. It’s a great step in the right direction. It’s helping the sport grow.”
For Nichols, pickleball helped fill the competitive void left when his professional motocross career came to an abrupt end with that crash at a race in Missouri.
“I’m super competitive,” he admitted. “I just want to always be better and challenge myself.”
Now, he has three gold medals from one national championship event to show that all his had work was worth it.
“It’s awesome,” Nichols said. “I’m extremely proud. It’s fulfilling. It really is.”
Nichols said he hopes to leave behind a legacy for the disabled community and anyone else trying to overcome the hardships faced in everyday life. And he will use pickleball as the vehicle to do that.
“The sport’s amazing,” said Nichols, who seeks to “help others find and become the best version of themselves.”
Bob Reinert spent 17 years writing sports for The Boston Globe. He also served as a sports information director at Saint Anselm College and Phillips Exeter Academy. He is a contributor to USA Pickleball on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
