PBFOY Ep. 10 Table Tennis Legend Judy Hoarfrost

Judy Hoarfrost has wielded a paddle as far back as she can remember, but it was apparent when she won her first National Championship at the age of 12 (Junior Girls) that she was destined for a life in Table Tennis.

In this episode of Pickleball Fountain of Youth, host Steve Paranto dives deep into Judy's historic, Hall of Fame role as a Table Tennis pro, her recent introduction to pickleball and her success in bringing her incredible skills from Table Tennis to the pickleball court. 

At just 15 years old, Judy was the youngest member of the US National Team competing at the '71 World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan.

She was a member of the “Ping Pong Diplomacy” Team that made history in 1971 when they toured China and met Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. She was many-times a US Junior Champion, 2-time US Senior Champion, a 3-medal winner of the Pan Am Games, and 2-time Oregon Champion for both Men & Women.

In 2020, Judy was introduced to pickleball and connected with her future Mixed Doubles partner, Pickleball Hall of Famer Steve Paranto. Just 2 years later she would win gold in Women’s Doubles 65+ 4.5 at the 2022 USA Pickleball National Championships. 

Judy was inducted into the US Table Tennis Hall of Fame, as well as the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. She is the owner of Paddle Palace, which sells all things Table Tennis.