2 minute read
Where Are They Now? Zane Navratil ’14
All the Way Up
AFTER QUITTING HIS DAY JOB, ZANE NAVRATIL ‘14 BECOMES ONE OF THE BEST PICKLEBALL PLAYERS IN THE WORLD.
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—Rachel Shuster
Zane Navratil ‘14 is one former Prairie athlete who has truly evolved his game.
A Prairie lifer and standout tennis player, Navratil continued his playing career as an Academic All-American at UW-Whitewater. When his athletic eligibility expired four years into a five-year business program, he decided he’d try something new: pickleball.
“I’d been introduced to pickleball in 8th grade gym class at Prairie,” he chuckles.
What is pickleball, exactly? It’s a combination of tennis and pingpong, played with a paddle and a wiffleball, hitting the latter back and forth in an attempt to outmaneuver your opponent. Players (singles, or pairs of doubles) face off on a court that looks similar to tennis, only smaller — approximately twenty feet wide by forty-four feet long. The game is scored much like tennis, but governed by additional rules about where you can play on the court and when.
Navratil says it’s no surprise that tennis skills translate well — but adds that extreme athleticism is not a prerequisite.
“Nobody at the pro level in the sport right now has been training for pickleball specifically since they were kids!” he laughs. “The cool thing is that you can have people on the court who are 20 years old playing somebody who’s 70. That’s just not possible in basketball, tennis, football.” According to The Economist, pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America. In fact, participation grew 21.3% in 2020 — an astronomical feat for a sport that already had 10 million people playing.
Navratil quit his full-time job with Deloitte in July 2020 to become a professional pickleball player. He enters — and often wins — professional tournaments, along with hosting clinics around the country on a regular basis. At the time this article was published, Navratil was ranked #2 in the world for pro singles, and #8 in the world for men’s doubles. He recently signed a paddle sponsorship.
Navratil credits his former Prairie tennis coach, Harold Swanson — whom he affectionately refers to as “Swa” — for not only building his athletic prowess, but teaching him how to be adaptable.
“Just like Prairie, he taught me how to learn for myself,” Navratil explains. “He never would just give you an answer; he would lead you toward the conclusion, but it always had to be me figuring it out for myself. That’s helped me tremendously in pickleball, an evolving game — identifying different strategies and techniques.”
“The cliché that Prairie teaches you how to learn: I found that to be true. Once I decided to apply myself, Prairie really did provide me with that base from which to build upon.”
MAY8 5:30-10:30PM
ATTEND ONLINE FROM ANYWHERE
All online attendees may bid from home through our web-based system at no cost, but you must register in advance. Be sure to sign up soon to stay updated on available auction items!
ATTEND IN PERSON
In a year unlike any other, Premiere will have a different format — all while being the same great celebration of community that makes this event Prairie’s signature fundraiser. We’re excited to (finally!) gather in-person once again, and will do it in a way that reflects all the hard work we’ve put into safely learning together on campus this year.
