Vinnie Brascia is the father and coach of professional pickleball players Mary Brascia and Maggie Brascia. He travels with them to Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour events while also supporting his youngest daughter, Molly Brascia, a college diver at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Vinnie balances being a parent and a coach, helping his daughters succeed in sports and life.
Coaching and Parenting on the Road
Vinnie Brascia plays a major role in the athletic journeys of Mary Brascia and Maggie Brascia. He attends PPA Tour events with them while his wife stays home with Molly Brascia during her swim meets. Vinnie shared the challenges and rewards of this setup.
“I’m a dad first. I love my girls and I’m so proud of them for putting themselves out there. But, it’s a balancing act because we want to support all the kids. On some weekends, mom’s back home with Molly at her swim meets, and I’m with Mary and Maggie at tournaments. You’ve got to divide and conquer. What’s great about being their coach is that I get to share this experience with them. Nobody cares more about their successes than me, so everything I try to do is to help them reach success both on and off the court.”-(Vinnie Brascia )
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From Tennis to Pickleball
Before coaching his daughters, Vinnie Brascia was a tennis instructor and athlete. He discovered pickleball later but quickly became passionate about it.
“I played pickleball so much that I threw my back out and I couldn’t play for three months. That’s how much I loved it.” -(Vinnie Brascia )
During the COVID-19 lockdown, his daughters were still playing tennis. But Maggie Brascia took the lead in encouraging their family to play pickleball together.
“When COVID hit, the girls were tennis players. Maggie was the only one who was really like, ‘Dad we gotta get the net out,’ and we would play for a couple of days every day. It was a lot of fun and it was a real blessing during those days to make lemonade out of lemons. During that lockdown period was when the girls really developed their skills.” -(Vinnie Brascia )
A Childhood Hint of What Was to Come
Vinnie Brascia remembers a time when his daughters showed early signs of loving racket sports. Even before they picked up real paddles, they were getting ready for the pickleball world.
“When the girls were little, they each had a Roger Federer mini tennis racket and they would play with foam balls. They would fight to see who could have time to play on the wall with the mini rackets. Looking back, I realize they were literally playing pickleball, they just didn’t know it. Their whole life they just kind of did things where they were dinking and hitting balls against a wall and stuff like that, so they took to pickleball pretty quickly in terms of figuring out and understanding the game.”-(Vinnie Brascia )
A New Chapter on the Pro Circuit
Their journey to the professional stage began after a local tournament. Then came the trip to Las Vegas for a PPA event in 2020. That event changed everything.
“We played our local tournament and after that we went to PPA Las Vegas that first year in 2020 – and that opened our eyes up. We thought this sport could be really big and the girls said let’s go for it.It’s a blessing and a real treat to get to share this with them, and I’m lucky enough that they will have me along this journey.”-(Vinnie Brascia )
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Why It Matters
Vinnie Brascia’s role as a father and coach shows the importance of family support in sports. His commitment has helped Mary Brascia and Maggie Brascia reach high levels in pro pickleball. With more tournaments ahead, Vinnie plans to keep supporting and guiding his daughters every step of the way.
News in Brief: Vinnie Brascia Balances Coaching and Parenting
Vinnie Brascia is the father and coach of Mary and Maggie Brascia, professional pickleball players. He travels with them on the PPA Tour while also supporting his youngest daughter, Molly Brascia, a diver at UCLA. Vinnie balances family life and coaching, helping his daughters thrive in their athletic careers.
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