If you have been at a local park looking for a tennis court over the past few years, you probably noticed a couple things. First, tennis courts are getting harder to find because they have been replaced by pickleball courts. Second, those pickleball courts are usually packed.

Seemingly out of nowhere, pickleball has taken the recreational sports world by storm. Indoor facilities pack in the players. Despite the proliferation of outdoor courts, there are never enough during seasonable weather. The sport, which resembles large-scale table tennis, quickly has attracted a fanatical following.

Art Siegesmund is one of those fanatics. He first saw pickleball played at the Arnold Sports Classic and picked up a paddle in 2018 at the youthful age of 57. “Pickleball was a good fit for my skill sets from racquetball, table tennis, badminton, softball, etc.,” he says. “It is a great way to keep in shape,” he adds. “Plus, it helps keep my mind sharp with all of the hand-eye coordination and quick decisions.”  

Siegesmund is now the self-proclaimed “Mayor of Dublin Pickleball,” a tongue-in-cheek title of his own making. Since 2021, he has led the Muirfield Village HOA pickleball events. Siegesmund also serves on the Dublin Pickleball Steering Committee. Online, he is the administrator of Dublin Coffman’s GroupMe pickleball chat group and the Dublin Pickleball Facebook page. Nice to meet you, Mr. Mayor!

Since Siegesmund got hooked, he has become an evangelist for the sport. “I loved playing so much that I started coaching,” he says. He became a Professional Pickleball Registry Certified coach in 2021. He has been teaching pickleball at the Dublin Rec Center since 2022. In 2025, Siegesmund became the junior pickleball coach at The Country Club at Muirfield Village. “I am also in contact with the Dublin high school pickleball clubs,” he adds. “I would love to see pickleball become an OHSAA high school sport in Ohio.”

In case you were wondering, yes, Siegesmund can hold his own on the court. His DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) score is over 4.0, putting him in the ‘advanced’ category of players. He has won tournament medals against similar competition, highlighted by taking silver in the men’s 55+ doubles at the 2024 Arnold Sports Classic. A career highlight was winning a point during which he completed two advanced pickleball shots—an around-the-post (ATP) and an Erne (look it up). “I wish I had a video of it,” he says.

Siegesmund’s pickleball heroes are top American players Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Jones. Local legend Jim Turner is Siegesmund’s mentor and one of the original ambassadors for Dublin pickleball. “Turner had a great vision,” he says. “He worked hard to make pickleball very inclusive in Dublin.” Siegesmund has also crossed rackets with Coffman grad and former major league pitcher Kent Mercker. “Kent is a big-time pickleball player and a real nice guy,” Siegesmund says.

In a nutshell—pickle jar?—that statement sums up Siegesmund’s passion for pickleball. “I think the best benefit is meeting new people,” he says. “The sport first attracted older players, but now younger players from all demographics are playing. It’s great!”