Powering pickleball

Millions of people across the country have adopted pickleball as their new favorite hobby. Doug Thielen (’02 Comm.) made it his career.

“I love that it’s a sport that’s easy to learn yet hard to master,” Thielen says. “I play once a week with my friends, and it gets really competitive. But I can also play with my dad, who’s in his 70s, and have a great time.”

Thielen’s role as chief marketing officer of Selkirk Sport, a leading pickleball equipment manufacturer, places him at the epicenter of an unexpected cultural phenomenon.

Pickleball, invented in 1965, was initially played with wooden paddles primarily in the Pacific Northwest. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people sought ways to interact while remaining socially distanced, and pickleball exploded in popularity.

Thielen is responsible for maintaining that momentum. “Mike and Rob Barnes, our cofounders and co-CEOs, have an intense focus on growing the game, which I deeply relate to,” Thielen says. Since 2014, Selkirk has been “solely dedicated to pickleball and enabling everybody to access it.”

Thielen markets the products⁠—paddles, balls, nets, bags, and apparel⁠—but he is mostly an evangelist for the sport. He leads the company’s media division, including Selkirk TV, an app with instructional content and coverage of the professional circuit.

“Pickleball, like any other industry, is having to rapidly adapt to the changing consumer landscape,” he says.

Thielen oversees Selkirk’s Athlete Marketing Team, which works with the sport’s biggest names, as well as an advocate program of more than 3,000 coaches, players, and influencers who help spread the word about Selkirk products.

Thielen previously worked as chief marketing officer of PickleballCentral.com. His career spans two decades and includes roles at Dickies, REI, and Filson, all brands focused on athleticism and outdoor lifestyles.

Outside of work, Thielen is an accomplished endurance athlete, having completed multiple Ironman triathlons and ultra-distance running events. In 2023, he ran the Wonderland Trail, which circumnavigates Mount Rainier. Last fall he completed the Rim to Rim to Rim, a 45-mile run at the Grand Canyon.

He focuses on noncompetitive events that are as much a test of mental fortitude as physical strength. “I may not always be the fastest or the strongest, but I’m able to persevere,” he says. “I’ve often joked I am an average athlete with above-average stubbornness.”

Thielen views his athletic endeavors as an essential component of his life. “Training makes me a better dad, a better husband, a better leader, and a better employee. I do my routines in the morning, so when I come into the day having already done something difficult, it gives me an edge in a tough situation.”

Thielen met his wife, Hailey, on a whitewater rafting trip in Maupin, Oregon, organized by Justin Frank (’02 Gen. Stu.). The couple reside in Issaquah with their two elementary school–age daughters. “The girls are both really active and participate in multiple sports and arts, including skiing, soccer, gymnastics, and, of course, pickleball,” he says.

Thielen began his marketing career in WSU’s athletic department, where he organized the return of “Midnight Madness” for the men’s basketball team in 2000.

Thielen cites Edward R. Murrow College of Communication Dean Bruce Pinkleton and professor Paul Bolls as inspirational educators. “WSU is a unique place that holds a special place in my heart,” Thielen says, noting lifelong friendships and a memorable trip with the Crimson Company to the 1998 Rose Bowl.

“If you are too comfortable, you aren’t learning anything new. You’re not growing,” Thielen told students at the 2024 Murrow Symposium. “It’s in this drive to be a ‘learn-it-all, not a know-it-all’ that you find your purpose.”