THE MILITARY FAMILY: Veterans find camaraderie through competition on the court
Heather Skold
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Downstairs on a Wednesday afternoon, you’ll find the entire basement of Peak Pickleball filled with players, some more experienced than others, but all with smiles on their faces.
They come from different backgrounds, with one common denominator: they’ve all served our nation.
“It definitely brings a whole new level of community and new stories that you don’t hear outside your own branch,” says Cody Krantz, about the Military Adaptive Court Sports League, or “MACS.” Veterans of all military branches are here for the camaraderie and the competition.
Krantz is equal parts encourager and sneaky-fast player.
“In the line of duty, I sustained a head injury, which led to some seizures and neuropathy. I still have my leg, but loss of use of the left leg, some weakness in the left arm.”
Because of his injury while a K9 MP in the Army, he plays from his adaptive wheelchair, which has, by his own admission, a distinct advantage: “nifty little storage devices,” he laughs as he wedges multiple pickleballs through the spokes of his wheelchair. “I can load up my wheels with 16, 20 pickleballs and just practice my serves over and over again. Reload, roll over, and go at it again!”
To him, the group has given him so much more than a good workout.
“It’s just become a blessed part of who I am,” says Krantz. “Being in a dark place, feeling alone, coming out of the military, it was one of the first groups to bring me in, to bring me that family, that camaraderie.”
For Mick Tingstrom, MACS Pickleball Director and Army veteran himself, it’s the perfect environment for those who’ve served.
“You’re trying to find your purpose: what am I supposed to be doing now when I take this uniform off? Many of us have seen things that most people shouldn’t see,” says Tingstrom. “This feels like therapy, except fun!”
MACS averages 50 players per week; players with seen and unseen injuries.
Thanks to generous donations, the group gets to play for no cost at Peak Pickleball.
Active duty and retired military members are welcome to join MACS.