Tennis was my everything.

In high school, tennis gave me a reason to get moving. I went from being inactive to getting in better shape and wanting to spend my time on the court.

During my junior and senior years, I played No. 1 singles and doubles for Carmi-White County High School in my hometown of Carmi, Illinois. Tennis gave me something I wanted to work at every day.

The two photos below are only a year apart—a small piece of that journey.

My senior year, I went to state in doubles with my best friend, Sean. Our high-school tennis careers ended there, at the hands of a kid who looked identical to Beans from Even Stevens.

I gained weight again during COVID, then dealt with a health setback in early 2023. Being active had been an important part of my life, and I wanted to find my way back to it.

A game worth showing up for.

By fall 2026, I was about two years into a more active lifestyle through pickleball. Along the way, I’ve made friends, become part of a community, gotten in better shape, and sweated a lot. A truly impressive amount of sweating.

I recently won a 4.0 tournament with Brad. Winning felt great, but the part that means the most is that a new friend already feels like a lifelong friend.

It can be hard to make those connections in modern life. Pickleball gives us a reason to show up, play together, and keep coming back. Somewhere along the way, the people across the net become your people.

More energy for my favorite people.

My wife, Kaitlin, and my daughter are my two favorite people in the world. My daughter is already hard to keep up with. If this is the warm-up, I need to be in good shape for the years ahead. I want to keep up with her as she grows.

Kaitlin is successful and hardworking. Being her teammate means doing my share of the chores, splitting parenting duties, and showing up for the everyday work of our life together. Having more energy helps me show up as a true teammate.

I believe pickleball has played a vital role in helping me be a better husband and father to my girls. That’s what makes getting in better shape matter most to me: what it gives back to Kaitlin and my daughter.

Yes, I’m going to tinker with it.

I’m determined to get better at this game. I also love working with my gear to optimize how I play. With my background in data analytics, the paddle world is an interesting place to spend time: the specifications, the technology, and the way a paddle actually feels on court don’t always tell the same story.

By day, I’m a Data Analytics Internal Audit Supervisor. Say it five times fast and you’ll fall asleep. I work with Python, SQL, data validation, process mapping, and automation. A lot of my day comes down to checking whether the data is reliable and whether a process works the way it should.

Those programming and data-analysis skills help me build Skilltree, organize paddle comparisons, and look for interesting outliers—paddles that might offer something unusual for their price or category. Specs give me questions to investigate. Playing with the gear gives me my personal take.

The firsthand experiences and opinions are mine. Manufacturer specifications and outside testing are identified separately, so you can see what comes from each source.

Skilltree is where I bring those interests together: my game, my gear, the data, and a little personality. I want these guides to help you find something that fits your game—and gives you another reason to get out and play.

Different branches.
Same tree.

In games, skills branch out as you grow.

• Tennis
• Pickleball
• Gaming
• Nerd themes
• Analytics
• Gear insights

SKILLTREE

Different branches of my life, growing into something of my own.