Active Recovery with OncePickled

When I meet with Nick Bolton and Adam Rudy to learn about their sober pickleball group, I feel instantly welcomed by their warm, easygoing presence. I imagine this is how new members feel when they join OncePickled, a pickleball group for people in recovery from substance use and mental health disorders.

Bolton founded OncePickled over a year ago after gathering people together from an inpatient recovery center to play pick-up games of pickleball. With little experience himself, Bolton and the group had a fun time learning how to play, challenging and cheering on one another. As a mental health and substance abuse counselor, Bolton realized the potential this sport could have, not just for individuals in inpatient rehab programs but also for people living in the community. “At the time, I was working with a client in recovery who had social anxiety. He would attend group AA meetings, but it felt difficult for him to connect. When I saw how he opened up and bonded with people while playing [pickleball], I knew there was potential,” says Bolton.

“This is a safe haven for the sober community, and Bolton has invested so much to make this a group people can rely on and look forward to.”

“No one becomes sober just to be miserable,” says Rudy, a local barber and member of OncePickled. Rudy shares that when he was struggling most with addiction, he became quite isolated. “While there are plenty of 12-step recovery programs, it doesn’t always fulfill the need for community people are searching for. Things like OncePickled bring people together in a fun and active way. It’s what people, including myself, have missed in their recovery programs,” says Rudy. He also emphasized that physical activity has greatly improved his mental health, aiding his recovery and making OncePickled events something he looks forward to.

“We now host two events a month but are hoping to increase this for the winter since many people are looking for things to do [as] other leagues, like softball, end for the season,” says Bolton. The group aims to make the events, and the sport in general, low-barrier by keeping events free and open to anyone in any stage of their recovery, with no pickleball experience required. The tournaments include people in the community and individuals in recovery programs, which can offer a sense of connection for those transitioning out of inpatient programs. “Plugging people into these events while still in treatment sets them up to succeed. It’s a good way to keep people together,” says Rudy.

“It’s the people in early recovery who we want to feel supported,” says Bolton. After leaving an inpatient treatment program, people in early recovery face challenges returning to old environments and habits in a community not designed to support sobriety. OncePickled provides people in recovery with a meaningful alternative, filling their lives with fun and connection. “After people graduate from their inpatient programs, they usually don’t have disposable incomes for memberships or gyms,” says Bolton. “We don’t want there to be any reason why someone wouldn’t want to come to our events. We have paddles and supplies.”

The events are organized in a King’s Court tournament style, often at the Midvale and Sandy courts, with players eventually matching up with people of similar skill sets. Thanks to several sponsors, including local recovery programs like Wasatch Recovery Treatment Center, Ascend Recovery and Balance House, Bolton is able to organize the events and include fun prizes for tournament winners. “People can win their own paddles, and now they can play outside our events. Another prize is a haircut with Rudy,” says Bolton.

“No one becomes sober just to be miserable.”

“The opposite of addiction is community,” says Rudy. OncePickled offers a community for people in recovery who are experiencing the same challenges and triumphs. “This is a safe haven for the sober community, and Bolton has invested so much to make this a group people can rely on and look forward to,” says Rudy.

Check out upcoming OncePickled events at oncepickled.org, on their Instagram page @oncepickled or on The Phoenix App, an online platform that publicizes sober events nationwide for individuals in recovery.

Read more from the December Sportz Issue:
Building Strength & Confidence at the Highland Games
Community Through Kicks: Alexis Whitney’s SLC Muay Thai