Sasha Fisher On Pickleball Championships
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Bermuda’s national pickleball player-coach Sasha Fisher is balancing leadership duties with elite competition as the Caribbean Pickleball Championships gets under way at the WER Joell Tennis Stadium.
The 39-year-old, a former Bermuda tennis player, is representing the host nation in the women’s 5.0 and mixed 5.0 divisions alongside co-captain Gavin Manders.
Nations including the Cayman Islands, Trinidad & Tobago, Antigua & Barbuda and Jamaica are competing in the multi-nation event, which runs until Saturday [March 21] and combines open competition with a team-based championship format.
“Our goals are to work together as a team against these other nations,” Fisher told Bernews.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to see the young men and women we’re developing here in Bermuda.
“We have goals in how we want to compete on the court, but I’m most excited about how we band together as a team.”
Fisher, now a high-performance head professional at Bosse in Natick, Massachusetts, has taken on a dual role within the national set-up, combining coaching responsibilities with her own competitive ambitions.
“I’m used to managing the coaching side, being supportive to my team-mates and offering the knowledge I’ve learned from competitive play,” said Fisher, who has competed on the Professional Pickleball Association Challengers circuit.
“Coaching can take away from playing, but I’m learning to compartmentalise and be available to my team-mates and support our elite team and senior team.”
The championships feature two connected events – Rally on the Rock and the Caribbean Championship Cup – designed to offer broad participation while also preparing national teams for World Cup-style competition.
Fisher’s pathway into pickleball followed a career in tennis, where she represented Bermuda and developed as a doubles’ player alongside Manders during their youth.
“Gavin and I were doubles partners in tennis as youngsters, so it was very easy for us to come together as doubles partners in pickleball,” she said.
She has spent the past seven years immersed in the sport, transitioning from managing a facility in New England to becoming a leading coach, with a strong emphasis on player development.
“A lot of my focus is on coaching and developing players,” Fisher said.
“The reason I enjoy teaching pickleball more than tennis is that it’s easy for your clients to have fun and learn enough to have fun quickly.
“Tennis is a wonderful sport but takes a long time before you can get good at it. People of all ages and abilities with no sports backgrounds can get on the same court and play together – that’s why it’s exploded.”
With Bermuda hosting the regional championships, Fisher said the emphasis extends beyond results to building cohesion and showcasing the island’s emerging talent.
“We have such a great group of people. It’s a lot of fun,” she said.
Men
Gavin Manders [Co-Captain]
Benjamin Jones
Jamie Stowe [Player & Coach]
Tom Mills
Mical Russell
“Women
Sasha Fisher [Co-Captain]
Patricia Mills
Melisa Judd
Lily Hallett
Naphisa Smith
