Steelers LS Christian Kuntz brings pickleball to youth

Tre Tipton had not picked up a pickleball paddle before Tuesday.

In fact, the former Apollo-Ridge football standout who went on to play at Pitt said he didn’t even know pickleball existed before teaming up with Pittsburgh Steelers long snapper and Chartiers Valley grad Christian Kuntz and former Steeler Charlie Batch and his Best of the Batch Foundation for a newly formed initiative to raise money and also raise awareness for the sport in the Pittsburgh region.

“Pickleball is a new addiction for me,” said Tipton, who drew rave reviews from those who saw him grab a paddle and hit the ball around for a few minutes at the new Best of the Batch facility in Munhall.

“It is so much fun. It is definitely something I want to do in the future. I had a lot of fun playing. I wanted to do something cool and help the community. Today was something pretty special.”

Several dozen area youth who gathered at the Best of the Batch Foundation facility Tuesday received pickleball instruction from Kuntz, Tipton, Batch and others and also were invited to get on the court and hit the ball around.

Kuntz, who enters his third season with the Steelers, has partnered with Impact Pickleball to create a Pittsburgh-themed, custom pickleball paddle.

All proceeds from the sales of this paddle will support his Kuntz for Kids Foundation.

“I didn’t have any plans to do anything with pickleball until Impact reached out to me,” Kuntz said.

“I’ve been into pickleball since high school, and a couple of my (Steelers) teammates, Minkah (Fitzpatrick) and Alex (Highsmith), also play. (Impact) made me these paddles, and once we came up with this idea, Sammy, Greg and the marketing guys led me to Charlie and his foundation. I reached out to Charlie, and everything worked out perfectly.”

Tipton said he is excited to play a part in this pickleball endeavor.

“I got involved through The Pavement Group and also through my agent, who did a great job in setting all of this up,” Tipton said.

“We have a great group of guys, and then (The Pavement CEO) Brian (Hess) said he wanted to donate and help the kids out. We’re excited for all of the kids to learn about the game and have an opportunity to play. That is the goal to introduce them to something new, different and fun.”

Through a partnership with The Pavement Group, a paving company based in the North Hills, 15 of the specially designed paddles will be donated to the Best of the Batch Foundation.

Batch said he is grateful for the donation and is excited to give the kids who come to his facility another opportunity to stay active while learning a new sport.

He said additional equipment and other resources will be acquired to make it all a reality.

“I knew about pickleball because, of course, there is so much to read about,” Batch said.

“I also walk North Park a lot, and there are so many games played on the courts there. I have a couple of friends who play. It’s impressive to see it picking up more and more in Pittsburgh and all over the country.

Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis.

Players, in a singles or doubles format, hit a perforated hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch high net.

Opponents hit the ball back and forth until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule violation.

Pickleball continues to increase in popularity across the United States. According to the Association of Pickleball Professionals, there were 36.5 million pickleball players in the U.S. in 2022, with the number expected to surpass 40 million in 2023.

As of the first quarter of this year, there were 10,500 pickleball courts in the U.S.

In the Pittsburgh region, pickleball courts open at different facilities on a weekly basis.

Tipton’s on-court pickleball exposure Tuesday followed a busy weekend of activity supporting his friend, former Pitt teammate and current Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin and his CPR Tour in Pittsburgh that helped raise funds for Hamlin’s nonprofit Chasing M’s Foundation.

Hamlin’s tour, which started in Buffalo and has moved through several cities, is in support of his foundation dedicated to providing health and safety to children through sports training and programming.

Tipton said he was honored to instruct at Hamlin’s football camp Friday and also attend Saturday’s charity softball game at Pitt’s Vartabedian Field, which featured a number of former Pitt football stars and current and former NFL players.

Tipton also joined Hamlin as coaches Sunday at Highmark Stadium for a high school all-star football game.

“The game on Sunday was a lot of fun,” Tipton said. “It was a great game, and all of the kids had a great time.

Hamlin has recovered from an on-field medical emergency when he collapsed and went into cardiac arrest after taking a hit during a game between Buffalo and the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati on Jan. 2.

“It is always great to see Damar, especially now,” Tipton said.

“He is a walking miracle. He has turned something so scary and life-threatening into something that celebrates life and is helping so many people all across the country. He gave a whole weekend to help his hometown of Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities. I was glad to be a part of that.”