Ella Evans: A Ten-Year-Old Powerhouse Rising Through Pickleball's Ranks

 

Fueled by Passion, Pain, and Purpose, Ella Is Redefining What It Means to Be a Young Champion

In a sport growing faster than anyone imagined, few names in youth pickleball shine brighter than Ella Evans. At just 10 years old, she’s not only dominating the junior professional scene, but she's doing it with a depth of heart and grit well beyond her years. Balancing fierce competitive spirit with the heavy weight of personal loss, Ella plays for more than medals—she plays in memory of her biggest fan: her father.

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Just when you thought pickleball couldn’t get any bigger, along comes Ella Evans—a ten-year-old force of nature with a paddle and a mission.

During a lively junior event, amid chatter of rising “CIA young guns,” one player stood out: Ella, with a spike in energy and talent that left spectators buzzing. With an intensity that's impossible to ignore, she commands the court. "Girls want to get pretty high," she jokes with youthful swagger. "I just get, like, so powerful." Then, she punctuates her excitement with a burst of “winning, winning, winning”—a refrain that mirrors both her drive and her record.

Ranked among the top players in the Junior Professional Pickleball Association for the 12-and-under division, Ella has only just begun to leave her mark. She picked up a paddle at age 7, and her growth since has been nothing short of electric. Her mother, Monica, recalls seeing her daughter’s raw energy and grit from the very first tournament. “It was this little girl, alive, about 2 pounds, brown hair, saying, ‘Come on!’”

Even her coach, Johnson, is in awe. “There are things you just can’t coach,” he says. “Who’s going to look better when they’re tired? It better be her. She’s an absolute dog out there—never loses focus.”

Ella plays almost daily and often powers through injuries. But what truly sets her apart is not just talent or toughness. It’s resilience. This past February, she lost her father, Jake Evans, to a long illness. He was 57. The grief was immense—but so was her response. “Even though his loss hurt me,” Ella says, “I just knew I needed to get better and better and tell myself that he's cheering for me every single point.”

Coach Johnson reflects on that strength: “A lot of players, a lot of people, would break. But she’s used it as a tool to motivate her. To play for something.”

Ella and her mother have also channeled that love of the sport into a broader mission: in June launching The Junior Spin, a digital magazine for young pickleball enthusiasts. “I just love to inspire the other juniors,” Ella says. “Pick them up.”

The court has become a kind of sanctuary. Through her wins and her grief, pickleball remains Ella’s joy, her escape, and her way to stay close to her dad. “Every single time you play pickleball, it makes you feel good,” she says with a smile that mixes determination and hope.

Her efforts are already paying off—Ella just took home gold in doubles at the Atlanta Open. And she’s only getting started.

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Summary:

Ella Evans is more than a rising pickleball star—she’s a symbol of what courage, heart, and ambition can look like at any age. Starting the sport at 7, Ella quickly ascended the junior ranks with unmatched tenacity and a passion that caught the attention of coaches and fans alike. Her raw talent and competitive spirit were evident early, but her response to personal tragedy—losing her father Jake in early 2025—revealed a deeper strength.

Rather than withdrawing, Ella channeled her grief into her game, using her father's memory as fuel. Her resilience and focus impressed even seasoned coaches, as she pushed through pain—emotional and physical—to compete at the highest junior levels. Off the court, she and her mom Monica will be launching in June The Junior Spin, a digital magazine aimed at supporting and spotlighting young players like herself.

Ella’s story is not just one of talent but of perseverance, purpose, and passion. In the face of profound loss, she continues to rise—winning matches, hearts, and setting an example for kids everywhere. Whether in victory or challenge, she plays every point as if her father were watching—and in doing so, she's inspiring a new generation of young athletes.

Ella Evans Pickleball Anthem

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Verse 1 (Folk Rhythm)

Instrumentation:

• Acoustic guitar fingerpicking in D major

• Light mandolin arpeggios

• Soft upright bass plucks

Vocals:
At seven years, she picked up a paddle,
In grandma’s yard, she learned to battle.
A force of nature with a paddle and mission,
Born to shine, born to spark that vision.
Mom and Ella dreamt The Junior Spin,
A magazine to let the young ones win.
Through sunlit courts and fading light,
She learned to play with all her might.

Chorus (Jazz Swing)

Instrumentation:

• Stand-up bass walking line

• Sparse brushed drums

• Soft trumpet accents

• Rhodes electric piano chords

Vocals (call-and-response):
Leader: "She’s an absolute dog out there!"
Response: "Yes she is, yes she is!"
Leader: "Get better and better, round by round!"
Response: "Round by round, round by round!"

Verse 2 (90's Rap Flow)

Instrumentation:

• Boom-bap drum loop with snap snares

• Upright bass sample looped low

• Record scratch transitions

Vocals (rap):
Yo, from court to court she’s reppin’ ten and under,
Spike so high, make the rivals all wonder.
"Winning, winning, winning," her mantra so clear,
Jettin’ past pain, chasin’ the cheer.
Lost her dad, but she kept on the grind,
Three months now, but his love’s in her mind.
She said, "I get better and better, step by step,
With every break, every serve, every rep."

Bridge (Jazz-Folk Fusion)

Instrumentation:

• Nylon-string guitar with gentle jazz chords

• Trumpet solo echoing the melody

• Brushes on snare mimicking heartbeat rhythm

• Upright bass walking softly

Vocals (melodic spoken word):
In center court, she breathes the breeze,
Her paddle sings between the trees.
For The Junior Spin, she spreads the light,
In every match, she fights the fight.

Chorus (Jazz Swing Repeat)

Instrumentation:

• Add saxophone harmony

• Drums open up with light cymbal ride

Vocals:
Leader: "She’s an absolute dog out there!"
Response: "Yes she is, yes she is!"
Leader: "Get better and better, round by round!"
Response: "Round by round, round by round!"

Verse 3 (Folk-Rap Hybrid)

Instrumentation:

• Acoustic guitar strum with rap beat accents

• Clarinet whispers behind the beat

Vocals (sing-rap):
From backyard dreams to the big league scene,
Ella’s spirit racing, crisp and clean.
Launching in June, "The Junior Spin" mag will be fire,
Inspiring young hearts to aim higher.
Every point she plays, dad’s voice in her head,
Cheering her forward, where her love is led.
Her mission is clear: to honor his name,
Pickleball queen rising in the game.

Final Chorus & Outro (All Genres Merge)

Instrumentation:

• Full band blend: acoustic guitar, bass, drums, jazz horns, rap scratches

• Layered harmonies in background

Vocals:
All: "Winning, winning, winning, that’s her call!"
All: "Get better and better, she’ll never fall!"
Sing-rap ad-libs: "Oh, Ella, that dog, keep the mission alive, paddle in hand, watch her thrive..."

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Behind the Anthem: Crafting Ella Evans’ Mixed-Genre Tribute

When tasked with honoring Ella Evans’ journey—her childhood paddle at age seven, the launch of The Junior Spin, her unbreakable will (“get better and better”), and her identity as “an absolute dog out there”—the challenge was to merge three distinct musical worlds: folk, 90’s rap, and jazz. Each genre reflects a facet of Ella’s story:

1. Folk captures her organic roots—learning pick-up pickleball in her backyard and the warm bond with her mother. The gentle acoustic guitar and mandolin evoke the simplicity and nostalgia of those early days at age seven.

2. 90’s Rap embodies Ella’s raw, competitive fire. The boom-bap beats and record-scratch turns mirror her rhythmic spikes and the mantra of “winning, winning, winning.” Her rapid-fire verses mirror the speed at which she ascended the junior rankings.

3. Jazz highlights her resilience and depth—the cool swing of grief transformed into motivation, the smooth brush strokes symbolizing her steady focus on court, and the improvisational solos reflecting her adaptable spirit in the face of loss.

The song’s structure was intentionally modular: verses change style, choruses unify with call-and-response, and the bridge fuses spoken word with melodic jazz-folk to underscore the emotional turning point of playing in her father’s honor. Instrumentation was layered from sparse simplicity to full-band finale, paralleling Ella’s growth from solo backyard sessions to championship doubles gold.

This song stands as a testament not just to her athletic prowess but the heart and story behind each match. It’s a celebration of a ten-year-old powerhouse who picked up a paddle at seven, dared to dream with The Junior Spin, and continues to “get better and better”—an absolute dog with a paddle and a mission.