Local man’s forthcoming book shines a light on pickleball

David Satka displays his book at the Blair County Pickleball Club court at Garfield Park.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Dave Satka was giving a pickleball lesson a couple of years ago, chattering away and imparting wisdom when his protege suggested, “You should write a book.”

So he did. Satka’s book, “Winning Pickleball,” published by Hatherleigh Press in New York, hits bookstores April 30, and he’ll do a signing and seminar at Barnes & Noble at Logan Town Centre on May 4.

Suffice to say he’s thrilled.

“It’s given me great satisfaction,” Satka said. “For a first-time author to be picked up by a major publisher is really rare.”

An Indiana State graduate, Duncansville resident and retired teacher at Forest Hills and Penn State Altoona, Satka believes pickleball has made the book marketable.

According to the Association of Pickleball Players, the sport has been the nation’s fastest growing for three straight years, with more than 36 million people now playing.

“I’m under no illusion that it’s because I’m a great author,” Satka said. “It’s because of the pickleball growth and potential for sales.”

Hatherleigh didn’t take long to sign him.

“We are very excited to be publishing David’s forthcoming book,” Andrew Flach, Hatherleigh publisher, said. “The sport has seen a significant increase in places to play and membership growth. David’s book was ideal for our specialized publishing domain in health and well-being, as pickleball is an ideal way for people to keep active.”

Satka credits the player he was tutoring, Dave Berry, for inspiring him.

“He had written a book and knows the process, and he convinced me that I could do that,” Satka said. “Without Dave, there’s no chance I would have attempted this, and I probably wouldn’t have completed it without him because he encouraged me the whole way through.”

An accomplished player himself who medaled in the prestigious Gamma Classic Tournament in Pittsburgh the last two years, Berry made suggestions and did some editing on the book.

He told Satka, “I can hear your voice. It’s like you’re talking.”

Berry said Satka’s “diverse background” of competing, coaching and being a teacher provides a broad experience base that the book conveys.

Another regular partner who encouraged him was Hope Sheehan. She, too, is an author.

“The first day that Dave (Satka) showed up to play pickleball was when we met, 11 years ago,” Sheehan said. “I’m a foot shorter and 10 years older, but I had the advantage then because I was already playing pickleball, and he was still playing tennis. Dave couldn’t figure out why I was winning. But even when he was losing, he couldn’t get enough of the game.”

They played more during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Dave just loves to have fun, and his nature has upped the game’s enjoyment for me,” Sheehan said. “His sense of humor comes through in the book, and I’m hoping that the book’s hints raise the readers’ pickleball game just as Dave and I have advanced our own.”

Many tennis players, as they grow older, gravitate to pickleball because it requires less ground to cover in addition to offering socialization and play at various levels.

“I was an assistant pro at the Summit (Tennis & Athletic Center) and continued to play mainly in warm weather,” Satka said. “I played in the Mansion Park Tournament and came to the conclusion there was no amount of practice that was going to be enough to counter all these young, fast, hard-hitting players. Those days were over, and I was bored with older-man tennis.”

He said he left the tennis courts at Hollidaysburg, and “I walked across the field and into the Y(MCA)” and found a group playing pickleball.

“I was fortunate to be welcomed by a former tennis player, Ron Lynn,” Satka said. “I was in the second or third group that started it here.”

Wanting to find an outdoor venue, Satka toured the city with Mike Hofer, executive director of the Central Blair Recreation Commission, in search of vacant tennis courts.

He said they found one off Broad Avenue called “the sandpit,” which “we felt was the perfect location, but we got some kickback from tennis players who weren’t happy.”

That led to an opportunity at Garfield Park, where Satka and friends got permission to etch pickleball lines over two aging tennis courts.

Since then, the Blair County Pickleball Club was formed and developed Garfield into an exclusive pickleball facility of six courts.

“The sport’s inclusive and addictive nature makes it appealing to a wide range of ages and skill levels,” Flach said.

When he’s not playing or writing about pickleball, Satka volunteers at the Blair County Miracle League, where his son, Benjamin, participates in the baseball program for children with challenges.

“I’m the on-field announcer,” he said. “I try to make it fun for the kids. It’s devastating that my son can’t play so this is the only chance to interact in a sports way, but the volunteering part is rewarding because of the way the kids respond to the little bit of sunshine that’s cast on them.”

Joe Reed, president of the Miracle League, said Satka’s contributions are well received.

“Dave helps as a buddy so he goes with a player into the field, and he also helps them bat,” Reed said. “He pitches once in a while and does the announcing. Dave is well liked all throughout the Miracle League. We wouldn’t be able to run the league without the volunteers.”

Satka’s book is dedicated to Benjamin.