Joyce Jones

Joyce Jones is a living legend in pickleball and the Guinness World Record holder for the oldest competitive female pickleball player. Born on April 4, 1930, she first set the record at age 94 during the 2024 Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah, and then reaffirmed it in October 2025 at age 95. But what makes her story truly remarkable is how she learned the game: in 1965, she and her husband Don were taught pickleball by co-inventor Joel Pritchard himself at his home on Bainbridge Island, Washington. That means Joyce has been playing pickleball for over 60 years, predating the sport's modern popularity by decades.

At the 2024 Huntsman World Senior Games, Jones didn't just show up to compete. She won gold in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles pickleball in her age division, completing a triple crown. She also won gold in the 100-meter dash and silver in the 50-meter dash at the same event, because apparently dominating one sport wasn't enough. Jones has competed in 19 Huntsman Games and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2021. She also helped introduce pickleball to the National Senior Games in 2011. Her athletic resume extends well beyond pickleball, with 301 badminton titles and hall of fame inductions across multiple racquet sports including tennis, table tennis, and racquetball. At 95 years old, she continues to compete and win, proving that age is genuinely just a number when you have six decades of paddle sport experience behind you.