About Us

Born near Seattle, WA in 1965, Pickleball has become the fastest growing sport in America. Largely popular with older adults, it is catching on like wildfire with junior athletes around the country. Missing from this rapid expansion is the availability of traditional junior club programs for practice and competition. Junior players find themselves largely playing parents and other adults to satisfy their craving to learn the sport. Monster Athlete Juniors has boldly tackled the challenge of juniors wanting to play and compete with other juniors.

Monster Athlete Juniors is a family of clubs in various locations holding weekly practices and providing tournament play. It is a pioneering effort not currently offered by other organizations. Athletes between the ages of 8 and 17 have the opportunity to join Pickleball clubs in their area and compete with juniors of similar age and ability from other clubs.

Our coaches have significant experience coaching Pickleball and have FBI/Child Abuse clearances. Our program includes teaching proper technique, understanding responsibilities on the court, and learning winning strategies that lead to greater success during competitions. Pickleball will eventually be present in High School and Junior High athletic programs so Club Pickleball will give players an edge when they eventually play on school teams.

Monster Athlete Junior kicked off its pilot club program in March 2024. MAJ is now in its second full year with over 200 junior athlete members and growing steadily. .

As founder of Monster Athlete, Coach Vernick has three decades of experience coaching competitive girls’ volleyball at all age levels.
Former Director – Keystone Region High Performance Program
Former Club Director – Court Authority Volleyball Academy (9yrs), Push The Rock Volleyball Club (9yrs)
Previous Head Coaching Multiple High School and Club Teams including a 2016 HS State Championship and two time USA Volleyball Club State Championship.

Coach Vernick has been playing pickleball for 9 years since his relocation from Pennsylvania to Arizona. He has taken the best practices of USA Volleyball Club programs and built the Monster Athlete Juniors pickleball club program for Arizona youth.

Coach Vernick is a retired Licensed Engineer and IT Manager. He is married to well known Christian Author and Speaker Leslie Vernick and has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren.

Paul is in love with Pickleball and enjoys sharing his passion with anyone wanting to get into the sport or improve their game. He has learned that the best thing about Pickleball is the great community it brings together. Paul is a PPR Certified Coach and coaches all levels of children and adults. He is also a high-level tournament player himself and enjoys competing and improving his game. Paul also has an AZ fingerprint/child abuse clearance to work with children.

Outside of Pickleball, Paul is married to his beautiful wife Talia and they have three children Sydney, Macie, and Rhett (a fellow Pickleball addict). Paul is a Financial Consultant and Certified Financial Planner for Charles Schwab. He is also an Iraq Veteran and is in his 18th year in the Army Reserves currently serving in the rank of Major.