Today we’d like to introduce you to Neal Lagatta.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Like many others I discovered Pickleball during Covid. I was immediately hooked and played nearly everyday. As I got better I had people asking for tips and eventually lessons. I lived in the northeast I decided to locate to a warmer climate with playing more pickleball as my main reason With the warmer climate I was now able to play year round outdoors and started to enjoy a life that was less complicated and way more affordable. What started as a little business of a few hours a week quickly turned into a 7 day a week job. The beauty of it is I love being a pickleball instructor and I’m now recognized as a premier pickleball coach residing in Raleigh. I’ve worked at the local YMCA running clinics, set up free clinics in the Raleigh Parks through MeetUps and was recently hired by the Pickleball Club chain Pickles and Play To say I’m thriving is an understatement
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have had many injuries as pickleball is what I refer to ” an orthopedist dream sport” I had a spine surgery that wasn’t related to pickleball but that had me off the courts for 4 months Also as I compete nationally in pickleball tournaments the wear and tear of training everyday does take its toll
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve been in sales my whole life , 1st in retail sales of high end appliances and electronics . Lastly I been in wine sales and worked in wine shops and became a wine importer with an education as a wine sommelier I have lived all over the world and have been to 70 wine regions My passion for wine and the people in that industry shines within me
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I was an avid tennis player and couldn’t find anyone to play tennis . The reason I went into pickleball was that was the sport where I always found people playing. In hindsight I can say the soul of pickleball is social It was a fresh reprieve of the distancing we had during covid
Pricing:
- I charge an hourly rate that is available in different packages
Contact Info:
- Instagram: pickleballneal
