Courtside Couple: mayka and sia lo are passionate about pickleball

Sia and Mayka Lo are a true team on and off the court. Married for over 30 years, the pair started as tennis players and are now pickleball enthusiasts. Whether they’re rallying as teammates or facing off across the net, the game offers them a way to stay active, meet new people and spend time together. We recently caught up with this dynamic duo to talk about why they love to play the game as a couple.

Were you tennis players before you were married?

Sia: In ‘78, my family and I moved to St. Paul and my dad got a ping pong table from the church and we started playing in the basement. My youngest brother picked up tennis at school, and so he introduced us to tennis and then I really got into it. I ended up playing tennis in college at North Park University. 

Mayka: The first year that my brother and I came here, my cousin and I went and played tennis together. In South America, I never played tennis, so when I came in here, I saw tennis on TV. And then when I met Sia, we got married, we played off and on a little bit here and there for fun. 

Sia’s brother and his wife played tennis, so that's how I really got into it. First, I played with his wife. We started at Life Time and playing the USTA together and we kind of got serious. And then the guys realized we played tennis and we started to play all together, and the four of us played tennis almost every night for a long time.

I hear you’re now avid pickleball players. What got you hooked?

Sia: There’s a social aspect of pickleball, you get to know people pretty well. With pickleball it’s such a small court, so you start talking to each other. You get the thrill just like playing tennis, but then you get to know people better too — and I think that's probably why we're playing pickleball more now than tennis.

Mayka: I really enjoy the sport because it’s good for me — good for my body and I get to move a little bit. I can stay healthy, but also get to socialize outside of work. With tennis and pickleball, you get to meet different players, you're having a good time and learning new skills. So they’re good sports for everybody, actually.

What’s your favorite memory playing together? 

Sia: We went down to Kansas City once and there's Life Time down there as well. So I played pickleball against her and she beat me. 

Mayka: I beat him and he gave me his paddle! 

Sia: I'm stronger than she is, and yet she's able to beat me because of placement. That's why I think pickleball is a really fair sport, anybody can play anybody.

What keeps you coming back to Michael Lynne’s? Any go-to gear?

Mayka: We just always go there because we have good service there. They know what they're doing, and we’re happy there. You know, that's why I told Sia that he should have a job there — it felt like we used to literally live there. We feel at home there, so it's been nice.

Sia: They have everything that we need when it comes to tennis. And then of course, you know, pickleball comes along and so now they have all the brands that we're looking for as well. It’s a one stop shop for us, I like all the brands. I think every paddle has its own little tweak. What I like about Michael Lynne’s is that they have demos that I can try out. So I've tried a lot of the brands, but the one that I like right now is Paddletek, Anna Leigh’s paddle. 

Why’s pickleball such a great sport to play together as a couple? 

Sia: If you don’t play a sport together, you sometimes spend hours apart. What we like about pickleball is that we both can play against each other and she's very good. Pickleball has allowed the two of us to spend a lot of time, valuable time, together. 

Mayka: You can only go out to eat so much, hang and sit around at home. Pickleball is good exercise and good bonding time. We just play and we’re pretty competitive, so it’s fun you know? And it’s good to beat your husband sometimes!