A four-time Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medalist and elite pickleball player is throwing her full support behind the 1st ArenaPlus-KaTribu Pickleball Tournament set on 12 June at The Dink Lab Elite inside All Home in Kawit, Cavite.

Bien Zoleta formally expressed her willingness to grace the event and inspire young athletes and beginners to keep on playing the sport as it promotes active lifestyle, serious competition, friendship and camaraderie across players from all walks of life.

Dubbed as “Dink-depenence Day Showdown,” the tournament that is bankrolled by ArenaPlus, Philippine Sports Commission and JC Premiere with support from the Villar Foundation, Department of Finance, Senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Mark Villar, aims to gather close to 300 players for one whole day of fun, friendship, and excitement,

They will vie for cash prizes, trophies, medals and premium rewards like hotel accommodations, gift certificates and food vouchers in the men’s and women’s categories of four divisions: newbie, novice, low intermediate and high intermediate.

Registration is pegged at P1,500 and is now ongoing. Registered participants will also receive competition shirts, snacks, drinks and various freebies from the event’s sponsors. 

Zoleta, a former lawn tennis star who won a total of four gold medals in soft tennis in the 2019 and 2023 editions of the SEA Games, stressed that she is using pickleball for cross-training as it builds her confidence, stamina and reflexes as she prepares for the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya this September.

“In soft tennis, the game is mostly flat. In pickleball, there are also flat portions, especially at the net. That’s what I love about pickleball,” said Zoleta, who is still contemplating whether she will grace the “Dink-depence Day” as a celebrity player or as a guest who will inspire all the young athletes.

“At the same time, pickleball helps me in my performance in soft tennis because the movement there is very quick. In soft tennis, you also have to be fast, so both sports really help each other, especially for a soft tennis player like me.”

It didn’t take long for Zoleta to be successful in pickleball. 

Less than a year after picking up the sport in December 2023, Zoleta won a pair of gold medals in the prestigious World Pickleball Championship Series in Bali, Indonesia. Now, she competes for the IAM Worldwide Pickleball Warriors in the Philippine Year-Round Pickleball Circuit Season 1.

She, however, will take a break from active pickleball competition to join the national squad in its buildup for the Asian Games. They will be leaving on 15 June for a series of training camps in South Korea.

“Actually, pickleball is very easy to learn. The difficult part is mastering it,” she said. 

“Anyone can play regardless of age. Even people without a sports background can learn it quickly. Most people I teach are girls and most of them have pickleball as their first sport. It’s something they can pick up right away.”

But more than active competition, promoting a healthy lifestyle and building a network, Zoleta said pickleball is also an effective tool to strengthen family bonding.

“Maybe what makes pickleball special is that it’s not just for personal purposes — it can also be for the whole family,” said Zoleta, who is always playing with his brothers Karl and Borgy and sister Bambi at the family-owned Zoleta Tennis Center in Lucena City whenever she gets a break.

“Anybody can play it. You can play with your sisters, brothers, or even your parents. It’s truly an effective bonding experience for the whole family.”