As a father of three, I introduced my kids to soccer and eventually took on the role of coaching their teams. Driven by my passion for the sport, I became a USSF certified referee in 1999. In 2000, I earned my coaching certification and was coaching multiple teams. In 2001, I upgraded my referee certification and also became a VHSL soccer referee. That same year, I developed a training program for young referees to help them improve their skills.

By 2003, I was coaching a traveling team, a recreational league team, and my own adult team. Everybody just started calling me "Coach Quinn" and it's stuck. I was also officiating multiple games each week and served as the facility manager for A.C. Alliance and CASL Soccer Clubs. Playing, refereeing, and teaching soccer became a significant part of my life for many years. Due to medical issues, I had to give up soccer altogether in 2013.

Although I could no longer run and bike like I used to, I still wanted to help others Get Up and Get Out to be active, So in 2012, I created a new group called "Get Out Today RVA," which is still active today. We do a wide variety of activities including Pickleball. It's totally free and it's a great place to meet new friends. Check it out sometime. https://www.meetup.com/got-rva/

A lot of people ask me how long I've been playing and teaching. Here's your answer. 

In 2016, I was organizing sand volleyball games on Sunday afternoons at Pouncey Tract Park for my Get Out Today RVA group. A friend who occasionally played with us invited me to try pickleball at his church. I had never heard of the sport and wasn't particularly interested, but he insisted that I would enjoy it and that I would be good at it. So, I met him there, he explained a few rules, and we played. Ever since that day, I have been addicted to pickleball. I loved it so much that I wanted to introduce the sport to my Get Out Today RVA members, but unfortunately, there were no public courts available at that time.

In 2018, Henrico County built the first set of outdoor pickleball courts at Pouncey Tract Park, known as the Tiger Courts (AKA Upper Courts). I immediately started hosting pickleball outings through my group, Get Out Today RVA. However, since the sport had not yet gained popularity, I couldn't get anyone to come out. After promoting pickleball a lot, by the summer of 2019, my group was filling up all four courts. It got so busy, that created and buildt the "Next Up Paddle System." to manage player rotations more efficiently. 

When COVID-19 happened, everything was closed except the pickleball courts, which attracted a large number of people eager to learn this new sport. There were so many newcomers that I found myself unable to play because I was busy teaching. To accommodate this demand, I started holding beginner classes. To improve the quality of my instruction, I began taking "Teach the Teacher" classes with Linda Scott and other instructors. In 2021, I became an entry-level PCI certified instructor and began holding weekly classes on Sundays. But I wanted to learn more, so in 2022, I upgraded my certification and became an IPTPA Certified Instructor.

In 2021, gotRVA's pickleball program experienced significant growth, which created a need for a separate group to cater to beginners and novice players. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to take on this responsibility. Thankfully, gotRVA member and a good friend of mine, Sue Knightington, (who had taken my beginners class the year before) decided to start her own pickleball beginners group. She named it P-Cubed, which stood for Pouncey, Pickleball, and Proselyte, and it was launched on May 19, 2021.

Sue organized numerous events to help newcomers get started with pickleball. After about a year of successfully managing P-Cubed, Sue asked me to take over the group. I renamed it Pickleball For All and recruited several organizers to host events. Pickleball For All remains active today and continues to uphold Sue's original focus. Check it out sometime. https://www.meetup.com/pb4all/