Discovering Pickleball With Linette

In 2019, Linette Ramsay found herself at a crossroads. A dedicated tennis player who had competed at USTA Nationals in Dallas, she was suddenly limited by a lingering shoulder injury. Serving wasn’t the same, and every match left her more frustrated.

Around that time, something new was catching on at her club. Players had started gathering in the gym to try a sport called pickleball. “I was walking out of the tennis center and noticed what was going on,” Linette recalls. “The coordinator came up and asked if I wanted to learn. I decided to give it a try, and from that day on I’ve been playing.”

What began as curiosity soon became her new passion and an outlet that kept her active, social, and connected when tennis no longer felt possible.

From Player to Coach

As her passion for the sport grew, Linette found herself teaching friends and family. “With a lot of encouragement, I decided to get my PPR certification. That was about a year ago, and since then I’ve been coaching at Chip’s Pickleball Club in Eagan.”

Coaching gave her a new perspective on the game. “I drill with my partner once a week, and I play to keep my game sharp. But teaching adds another layer—you need stamina, and you need to be on court more often. That’s when I realized I had to increase my Pilates and strength training. Pilates has really helped my core and knees. It’s allowed me to stay healthy and coach at the level I wanted.”

Her focus with students always circles back to movement. “People want to focus on the paddle. But one of the things I try to teach in beginning and low intermediate levels is that footwork is the start of it. Good footwear is a part of that. If your feet aren’t happy, the rest of your game will suffer.”

The Footwear Journey

Linette’s attention to shoes started back in her tennis days. “I knew that if I wanted my feet happy, I had to invest a little more. I rotated three pairs of ASICS at a time to keep my feet healthy. Because if you’re not moving to get in position, then you stress other parts of your body trying to compensate.”

But tennis shoes didn’t translate well once she got deeper into pickleball. “I needed a lighter shoe. I went to K-Swiss ultralights, and I literally ran through the bottoms. You could see the shoe material through the soles. Then I tried Selkirk. They had the six-month outsole warranty, which was good, but I still ran through those too. They replaced them once, but I needed something stronger.”

Her introduction to SQAIRZ XRZ™ came from an unexpected place. “I was listening to Zane Navratil on his Pickleball podcast, and he was talking about these shoes. I had never heard of the brand, but I knew I needed a second pair of shoes for an upcoming tournament, and I ordered them. The difference was immediate. There was no break-in period. My toes don’t hurt anymore.”

She even tested them against her old pairs during a senior national tournament. “Midday, I switched back into my other shoes and didn’t feel good in them. So I changed back to SQAIRZ XRZ™ and finished the tournament in those. It was really nice to have happy feet and to wake up the next day without pain.”

Injury Prevention: The Hidden Cost of Footwear

Linette sees the consequences of bad footwear every week as a coach. “I see a lot of running shoes or inappropriate court shoes with beginners. One of the things I encourage people to invest in is a good court shoe—whatever they can afford. Because if it means that you stay on the court versus not, that’s a big deal. That’s a big ER bill.”

She’s witnessed everything from rolled ankles to chronic knee pain. “I’ve seen so many people get tied up with their feet or roll an ankle. Even with court shoes, I’ve seen it happen, but with running shoes it’s far more common. I tell my students, if you want to stay healthy on the court, start with your shoes.”

And she connects it directly to long-term health. “A lot of people have braces on their knees or ankles, but what they don’t realize is that it’s coming from their feet. They’re not moving correctly, or they’re getting stuck. That can be more dangerous than anything else.”

The research matches her experience: pickleball injuries cost players over $500 million in healthcare expenses in 2024 alone. Proper footwear reduces risk. “People don’t like to practice footwork,” Linette says, “but it’s the start of the game. Good footwear is part of that, just like a good paddle.”

Performance Benefits

For Linette, footwear is about playing better too. “With heavier tennis shoes, I was slower to move. In pickleball, you need to react quickly, and those little adjustment steps are everything. When you have a lighter shoe, you can move quicker. Whether it’s speed or agility, having that ability makes a difference.”

She notices the same in her students. “I had one gal who was fine for the first 30 minutes, but the last hour she was slower, reaching instead of moving. Afterward she told me her feet hurt. That’s what happens—you stop moving your feet when they hurt, and then your whole game suffers.”

With SQAIRZ XRZ™, she’s found a solution. “The roomier toe-box geometry makes a visible difference. I just show people my shoe and they can see it. You don’t realize how much it matters until you feel it for yourself.”

What Pickleball Means to Her

Reflecting on her proudest moments, Linette points to her coaching career. “This month marks the first full year of being certified. Looking at how far we’ve come as a coaching team is exciting. People want to enjoy the game—they want fun, exercise, and social connection. Coaching lets me provide that.”

For her personally, pickleball has become a cornerstone of life. “It’s my retirement job. It’s my book club. It’s my exercise and my fun. It’s my me-time where I’m not on my phone or computer. I’m with friends, or soon-to-be friends if I’m teaching. And it’s a great way to meet people I would have never met otherwise.”

Shop the XRZ™ Pickleball Shoe: engineered for balance, stability, and comfort—so players like Linette Ramsay can coach, compete, and keep enjoying the game they love.