Koszuta, known as @thatpickleballguy on social media platforms, is a trailblazer in the fast-growing space of pickleball influencers and boasts the largest following for an individual influencer in the pickleball landscape. He recently re-signed with Selkirk Sport, the industry leading pickleball paddle brand.
February 28, 2023 – Kyle Koszuta, perhaps better known as That Pickleball Guy, is a familiar face for fans and players alike at the biggest tournaments and events in pickleball. After becoming obsessed with the sport in 2021, Koszuta was early to see an opportunity on the influencer side of pickleball. As countless folks picked up paddles for the first time in the past few years, Koszuta sought out to teach his tips and tricks to amateur players, meanwhile providing engaging and entertaining content for all, often alongside top pros in the sport and onsite at pickleball’s biggest events. Koszuta originally teamed up with Selkirk Sport in 2022, forming a great partnership with their great media and content team to extend his reach and have a reliable resource when it comes to content, gear, tournaments, players, and much more. Koszuta re-signed his deal with the leading paddle brand this month, and will continue to grow his following and document his journey throughout 2023 and beyond.
“Kyle Koszuta is a tremendous entertainer, educator, player, and person, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to continue our great partnership with him,” said Mike Barnes, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Selkirk Sport. “It’s our great pleasure to continue working with Kyle to produce and present entertaining and educational pickleball content to our great community of Selkirk customers, players, and advocates.”
Koszuta picked up a paddle for the first time in 2021 in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. After being bit by the pickleball bug, he began playing regularly and even installed a court in his backyard. His passion for the game reached new heights when he began playing tournaments and taking the improvement of his game seriously. Having had a few years of social media and content experience under his belt, Koszuta saw an opportunity in the pickleball landscape to produce entertaining and unique content for the especially passionate pickleball community. Thus, he started a newsletter (thatpickleballguy.com) documenting his journey through the ranks of pickleball and started an Instagram page from scratch under the alias @thatpickleballguy.
On December 11, 2021, Koszuta made a post pledging his effort to reach and win at the highest levels of professional pickleball, a goal he continues to pursue to this day wielding his Selkirk LABS Project 002 paddle. Traveling to tournaments regularly to compete, he began putting together fun and hilarious video concepts on his Youtube Channel (@thatpickleballguy) alongside the sport’s top professionals, and later further diversified his video concepts with great educational tips and tricks for amateurs. Koszuta has entered a busy 2023 pickleball tournament calendar, where he is scheduled to compete in around 20 events throughout the year.
Taking notice of his great charisma and content strategy, Selkirk reached out and partnered with Koszuta in 2022. Working with Selkirk’s experienced content and media team, Koszuta’s partnership with the brand proved to be a winner, and Selkirk’s investment into premium and unique pickleball related content was something that Koszuta was particularly excited about when inking his new deal.
“Selkirk has been great to work with, and while there will be many great moments and videos to look forward to in the future, it is Selkirk’s investment in cool content that I find most exciting, along with having a great team to work with,” said Koszuta.
After earning rapid growth across his platforms and becoming the leading influencer and a fast-rising pro in the pickleball industry, Koszuta was able to commit full-time to his pickleball endeavors a few months ago. He enters 2023 with his new Selkirk deal and with great optimism for the opportunities to come.
About Selkirk Sport
Selkirk Sport, a manufacturer of pickleball paddles and accessories, is a family-owned and operated company based in Hayden, Idaho, located in the shadows of its namesake, the Selkirk mountain range. Founded in 2014, Selkirk Sport is born off a passion for sport, as well as the great western outdoor leisure lifestyle that was afforded to the Company’s founders, Rob and Mike Barnes, along with their father Jim, who is Selkirk’s production manager. Backed by the philosophy of always pushing the limits, Selkirk Sport is committed to manufacturing products that deliver the highest performance with unmatched quality and service. As part of their early success, Selkirk Sport was the very first Pickleball manufacturer to offer an unprecedented lifetime warranty on its high-performance products. And, to meet the demands of the game’s premier professionals, the Company regularly develops the latest and greatest paddle technology innovations. Selkirk Sport has become one of the industry’s fastest growing companies with paddles used by many of the game’s premier players, such as Tyson McGuffin, Catherine Parenteau, Parris Todd, Dylan Frazier, James Ignatowich, Mary Brascia, Maggie Brascia, Wesley Gabrielsen, Cammy MacGregor, and a host of others who are premier players and national/regional champions.
