Player Profile: Gerrard Watts Jr.

Alabama-born 26-year-old Gerrard Watts Jr. learned to play pickleball in middle school. “It was one of our major physical activities,” he explained. Watts continued to play through high school and college where he majored in mathematics and seems to view part of his life’s work as introducing others to the game.

In 2021, Gerrard received a fellowship from the nonprofit Urban Education Academy and moved to San Francisco. UEA recruits, prepares, houses, and supports the professional development of young Black and Brown male college graduates “because students deserve to see themselves in the classroom.”

Watts first placement was in a fifth-grade classroom at Visitacion Valley Elementary School. They were “exceptional students,” and it wasn’t long before Watts introduced them to pickleball. “I brought the nets and balls. All schools have those wooden paddles.” They played at recess and after school. A brave few occasionally joined Gerrard at Louis Sutter, where he still plays almost every day. Even on those days when he doesn’t play, Gerrard can be found walking his dog around the park.

This school year, he’s teaching third graders at Bret Harte Elementary School. “They’re a little harder to control than fifth graders,” so he hasn’t introduced the game yet, but he did talk to the principal about it. And “they love hearing about the game I played the other day or showing them the video.”

But pickleball has not been his only sport. A catcher, Gerrard had some notion of playing semi-pro baseball when he moved to SF. His body had other notions. Between pickleball and baseball, his right arm is in bad shape. Given the choice, he chose the paddle over the mitt.

“I’m lucky,” he said, “catching made me ambidextrous.” He’s now training himself to use his left hand. But even with a messed-up arm, his competition level is in the 4.0 range. “I’m looking for a mixed doubles partner,” he said.

A recent graduate from Stanford University in Education, he’s now planning to enter the distance learning Master’s program in Education Administration offered by Clark University.

Finding time to do everything is a problem for him, but pickleball is one thing he won’t give up. “I love the game and the community around it. I met so many people and made so many friends. Doors are opening for me.”

-Judy Goddess