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Tracy and Mike Seidl have played pickleball all over the country – from Alaska to Arizona and from Wisconsin to Mexico. There is always a common theme.
“Pickleball is the best social icebreaker ever,” says Mike. “ We have made instant friends in every corner of the U.S. and Mexico.”
The Seidls say it usually goes like this: “wear an Alaska pickleball shirt, talk with all the people who show interest in the state or sport, invite them to play, join them for happy hour and BAM – instant connection!”
Tracy got an invite to play pickleball in 2018 in a small town in Wisconsin, on an indoor, cement ice rink, and she was interested right away. The first rule with this group, which was not up for debate, was for all players to stay on their feet. If you took a spill, they booted you out the door. Later, Tracy drug Mike to The Alaska Club for open play, and he reluctantly started playing pickleball in 2019. Having been out of racquetball and handball due to nagging injuries, Mike was worried about getting obsessed with another sport and trashing his body even more. It didn’t take long for their occasional play to turn into planning trips, snowbirding and vacationing around the sport.
Tracy and Mike joined APC in 2020, participating solely in open, outdoor play. Winters are mostly spent in Mesa, Arizona, which is a mecca for pickleball. Slowly, both have been entering tournaments, helping with volunteer opportunities, taking clinics in Alaska and Outside and making plans for continued development in the sport.
Tracy was born in Juneau, and her early years were spent in Haines and Sitka. Her family moved to Anchorage in time for her to start high school. She went to work for the State of Alaska right out of high school and ultimately worked 30 years for the federal court system in various capacities, retiring at age 53.
Mike was born in Wisconsin, moved early in his life to Anchorage, and grew up playing all sports. He hunted and fished with his dad and at age 17, left to Montana for college seeking fame and fortune. But Mike says, that didn’t really work out. He did get his engineering degree and an intramural T-shirt for a racquetball championship and another for wheelchair basketball. Coming home after school, Mike got a civil engineering job, played an insane amount of sports and enjoyed Alaska to its fullest. Ten years down the pipe, he went mountain biking with Tracy and ended up talking with her into the night about their high school experiences. Both went to Dimond High School, one year apart.
Mike and Tracy have one child, a daughter who is married and lives in Arvada, Colorado. She is a marriage and family therapist and started practicing her trade on her parents starting in about 6th grade.
“If you get obsessed with pickleball, you should get a therapist, because the strategy involved will drive you nuts,” says Mike.
The Seidls best advice to new players is to “just show up.” Tracy is an every day practice/play type of person. Mike, not so much, but he says the obsession is there.
“Practice to get better, have fun always and be kind when playing,” says Tracy.
Tracy has been a mountain runner, a soccer player of great renown and recreational biker. She is interested in nutrition, health and physical therapy and is constantly tweaking their diet and exercise routine. Mike is all over every sport, except for cross country skiing. He began in racquetball and handball and was State Open champion in both sports. He started running mountains to try and catch Tracy, played old man basketball, swam and did triathlons. Winter and summer biking, hiking and fishing keep the Seidls rolling.
Mike retired as the Chief of Design and Construction for the Department of Natural Resources at age 52. He also worked five winters for ConocoPhillips on the Slope, just for the fun of it. He has three siblings, a myriad of nieces and nephews, and a dad who is 92 and lives in Wisconsin. All are ardent Green Bay Packer fans. Mike has owned a cheesehead, a brathead, and a Green Bay Packer waffle iron and toaster.
One story they wanted to share revolves around Anchorage Pickleball Club and the friends they have met here. These days, birthday parties are celebrated with APC friends and the Seidls say potlucks abound in the summer. So many laughs and conversations revolve around fire fights, dinking and third shot drops. Tracy and Mike can’t say enough about the whole crew in Alaska. They feel fortunate to belong to this great group.
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