Ladner resident Rachael Chatoor, like a lot of people in Delta, is an avid recreational pickleball player.
She and her husband play most every day, they also regularly travel for pickleball and have managed to make friends with pickle ballers from all over North America.
Her latest book P is for Pickles (the first dog of pickleball) The ABC's of PIckleball ARTwear, was just released on Amazon.
Pickleball ARTwear is pickleball art using tiny pickleball paddles. Just imagine a jeep or a butterfly made from pickleball paddles, can you?
“It's hilarious and also painful,” she says. “Because I just know that buyers are just scrolling past the images without knowing what they are, and I know that if they knew......they would be all over it. Because I see the change in them the moment people get it, especially if they have been fooled for most of the day like, been looking at a dinosaur on my shirt not realizing that every scale, every tooth, even his eyes.....are pickleball paddles). I mean if you are an avid pickleballer and you also love dinosaurs then the dinkasaur would be something really special, the way it overtly and secretly speaks to two things you love. Are you a fisherman? I have pickleball fish, what about an octopus lover, horse rider, 4X4 driver, VW van aficionado, flower fan, a goat, or a great ape gorilla appreciator? What is your favourite thing? I can make art out of it; I promise I probably will."
Once a full-time touring/working musician she spent nearly a decade playing in venues like the River Rock Casino, doing corporate events and playing locally and in the Lower Mainland.
Retired from the touring bands now, she still plays several local venues and will be part of the second annual Barnside Harvest Festival in September, but has more recently turned her creative beacon towards pickleball, her book and the artwear project.
Since starting the sport her story has been included in a book called Empowered by Dotti Berry and Jody Belsher, featuring 50 stories of North American women in pickleball.
She has also posted several musical parody videos or REELS on Instagram/YT/Tik Tok etc.: many of which included guest Lee Whitwell, a well loved pickleball pro who lives in Florida, who sends her clips to mix into her videos, one of which has a half a million views on it.
