A New Court
Sarah Bowman of Rohrersville is ranked as the No. 7 senior women’s pickleball player.
Rohrersville woman climbing to new heights as a senior pickleball player
By Laura Forrest Hopfauf
When Sarah Bowman found herself with free time after going through a divorce and having her daughter step back from her own intense sporting schedule, she thought she’d try pickleball one night a week for fun. She had seen an ad for evening classes in a local recreation department catalog, so she gave it a try.
That one ad and first night has turned into a new passion for Bowman. She not only enjoyed the game, she quickly excelled at it. Now Bowman plays professionally in both singles and doubles in the U.S. Legends 35+ Pro League for the Hagerstown Hit Squad team. She finished 2025 ranked No. 7 in women’s senior pro singles and No. 54 in senior pro mixed doubles while competing in the Legends Pro League 50+. She also serves as the USA Pickleball Ambassador for Washington County and as a pickleball coach in the area.
The game hooked her quickly. In her youth, Bowman, who lives in Rohrersville, was a nationally ranked junior tennis player and played varsity tennis for four years at Princeton University. After trying pickleball, she realized she still had that same competitive drive and energy that led her to become a college tennis player, and pickleball was a game that could reignite that aspect of her life. She set a goal to play professionally as a senior and worked to make that happen. After a very competitive combine tryout weekend, she was drafted by Northern Virginia Supernovas owned by Dani Mackey and began her professional pickleball career before coming to Hagerstown Hit Squad where she’s still pushing to get better.
“I’m working hard on and off the court to improve my game with new shots and strategies, and I plan to try out again for the U.S. Legends 50+ Pro League later this year. I am also striving to improve my game for better results and rankings in APP Senior Pro,” Bowman, 56, says.
Rankings aside, pickleball has been special for Bowman, who recently turned 56, for a variety of reasons that go far beyond playing professionally.
“I appreciate how at this age and stage in my life pickleball has given me the opportunity to rekindle my competitive drive, set new personal goals, train hard, and have an outlet for this passion,” she says. “I love traveling around the country to play, and I love meeting people through pickleball who are friendly, hard-working, and competitive too. As much as I love playing and competing, I also love coaching and teaching pickleball. I have taken students from recreational levels to advanced competitive levels, and I feel as proud and excited about their progress in their pickleball journeys as they do. It is intoxicating to be able to share my passion for this sport with other players and see that light bulb go off for them when I figure out exactly what adjustment to make in their game and how to explain it.”
Professional Pickleball Comes to Hagerstown
Local businesspeople Jason David, John Braun, Elly McCarthy, and Brian Miller have bought a team in the U.S. Legends Pickleball League 35-and-over division. The Hagerstown Hit Squad went 7-1 in the first two match weekends, losing only to the Bat City Bangers from Austin, Texas. Championship weekend is May 15-17 in Robinsville, New Jersey.
Players representing Hagerstown are Hisami Bergeron, Robert Bixler, Sarah Bowman, Katherine Gillis, Vince Ha, Yuki Kim, Tim Law, Justin Lui, Arjun Mahajan, Sara Maher, Waymon Peet, James (Jimbo) Peterson, Rachel Rhoney, and Heidi Sung. The players were selected from a tryout weekend in Richmond, Virginia, in February.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, pickleball has surged in popularity and that has been true in Washington County as well with courts being added into the facilities of parks across the county along with Hagerstown Field House hosting classes and adult leagues, and the addition of Dill Dinkers Pickleball in Hagerstown. There is a wide array of opportunities in the area for seasoned players and newcomers to play the sport that has given Bowman so much in this stage of her life.
“There is space within pickleball for everybody. That’s what’s so wonderful about this sport. There is an extremely low barrier to entry. You don’t need to be fit and active. You don’t need to be athletic and coordinated. You don’t need to be rich in order to buy expensive equipment. You literally just need to get off the couch and go to the park with a pair of sneakers and a cheap starter paddle from Walmart or Amazon,” Bowman says.
Pickleball players seem to be friendly and welcoming. Once you learn the rules and the basics of the game, you can show up to local courts as a single and be welcomed into the rotation of play. Pickleball games are short and you only have to run a few steps at a time. You don’t have to be in great condition to play it, and it will help you get in good shape. All kinds of people are drawn to the game, and courts are a big mix of ages, socio-economic levels, and athletic backgrounds.
“You can show up alone knowing no one, and everyone feels welcomed and included. After a while, the lonely guy has new friends. The out of shape woman feels active and fit. The empty nester who feels no personal purpose after her kids grew up feels a sense of excitement for new goals. And the guy who used to love competitive sports back in school feels challenged and fulfilled again,” Bowman says as if describing herself.
With her children grown, it’s easy to tell Bowman has found her new passion in life. Seeing her love for the game, it’s easy to believe pickleball has something to offer everyone who gives it a try.