In case you hadn’t heard of pickleball, it’s a mix between tennis and ping pong played with, essentially, a whiffle ball. 

Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and while part of the goal is accessibility, there's a rapidly expanding professional scene. And two Western New York natives are now representing New York state.

"I started with a friend from school, she was a school secretary," said Amy Porter of Eden.

"I was a former Division I tennis player and teaching pro. But my son said, 'you got to try this sport called pickleball, mom,'" remarked East Amherst's Cristen Kessler.

Two different paths, both are now true pros drafted by National pickleball teams. A warmup match in May stood as a preview of the first match this season.

"The very first tournament are in the first term and our first game is against each other. Our teams are against each other," said Porter, who was drafted by the National Pickleball League team Naples J.B.B.

Of course, however that shakes out, there’s a solid handful of New York athletes competing in the new 50 years and older league.

"It's something that, I mean from a kid, you hope to be able to get on a court or, or on a field and play at the highest level," added Porter. "So to be able to go and actually play at the highest level that there is is amazing."

The competition is fierce no matter the age group.

“Once you're an athlete and you play at that higher level, you always have that itch to play competitively," Porter said. "This gives you a little bit more of a playing field, a level playing field."

Part of the big boom in pickleball popularity is people coming in from all backgrounds.

"Yes, I'm a tennis player first, but there are a lot of fantastic pickleball players that were not tennis players," said Kessler, now a member of the NPL team Austin Ignite. "Pickleball allows everyone to play at every age. But then it's kind of up to the individual and their skill set to decide how far they can go."

So, while these two pickleballers and scores more are now representing the Empire State on the national stage.

"This is not the pickleball hotspot of the world, but its growing fast," Kessler added.

The goal is to continue to grow the game and maybe get some more 'celebrities' involved.

"I want to see Josh Allen play pickleball. Tell him we'll play with him any time,” Kessler said.