U.S. Open competitor brings pickleball from Naples to Papua New Guinea

EAST NAPLES, Fla. — As players compete at the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships in East Naples, Mark Palm is carrying a story that goes far beyond the court.

Palm said he started playing pickleball in 2019, then soon learned he had B-cell lymphoma. “I could no longer go surfing. I couldn't do other sports that I enjoyed, and so pickleball became that one thing I could actually do,” Palm said.

He said the game helped carry him through chemotherapy. “But it was just getting out, and that being with other people, being out in the sun. Just the mental health part of that was just so huge for me,” Palm said.

After treatment, Palm turned to tournaments and found success. 

“I started playing in tournaments, and then I started winning tournaments, at lower levels, and working my way up, finally ended up at the national championships in 2022, and ended up winning my age group,” Palm said.

When he is not playing pickleball, Palm runs Samaritan Aviation, a nonprofit serving remote communities in Papua New Guinea. Palm said the mission is rooted in faith. 

“We believe God values them, and they deserve a chance to live,” Palm said.

He said the group also recently introduced pickleball there. 

“We introduced pickleball 50 miles from the nearest road in a swamp, and the only piece of concrete there was a helicopter pad,” Palm said.

Palm said kids there quickly embraced the sport. 

“Brought a net over there, and pretty soon, you're seeing these kids introduced to a new sport, and they just love it. Just having a great time, the laughter, the community, and that's what it's all about.”