Progress-Minded at The Fort: APP Milestone, Family Wins & China Bound

It’s been a week since the APP Tour stop at The Fort in Fort Lauderdale, and what a ride it was. The facility—also known as the home of the APP—is absolutely beautiful, and the atmosphere throughout the tournament was buzzing with energy. If you read my last blog, you know the windy conditions created some wild upsets and added a whole new level of challenge to every match.

Playing mixed doubles with Jack is always a blast. His style is fastest hands and creativity, and when we’re on the court together, the energy is contagious. We qualified for Championship Sunday to play for a gold medal, and that journey alone was a highlight.

On Saturday, Jill and I played women’s doubles, and while we were upset in a tough quarterfinal match, it ended up being one of those “good losses.” We’ve been focusing hard on development over results, and this gave us a chance to have a great team conversation afterward. We broke down the match, gave each other honest feedback, and are more aligned than ever on how we can grow together as a doubles team.

Sunday’s gold medal match was special—I tied the APP record for most professional medals ever. That milestone meant a lot. But in true sports fashion, things didn’t go quite as planned. Jack threw his back out before the match, and then about ten points in, my back/hip gave out too. Not ideal for a high-level match against Will and Bobbi. But in a way, it allowed us to just let go, play loose and fast, and even laugh through the pain. Hopefully, we’ll both be healthy again soon—maybe in time for the US Open Pickleball Championships coming up.

Checkout some highlight points on our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/shorts/C8BRCu3m1xA?feature=share

Meanwhile, the kids absolutely thrived over the weekend. We pulled Lily from singles since she’s working on adjusting her forehand grip—we didn’t want to pile on pressure too soon during that transition. JR went out and shined in the 3.5 division, grabbing triple silver medals with creative, determined play.

After the tournament, we stayed in the Fort Lauderdale pickleball scene for a few days to feel out if this might be a future home base for us. There’s a strong community of professional players training in the area, plus an international airport, which is key for our travel-heavy schedule. Definitely something we’re keeping on the table.

Yesterday, we had an awesome pickleball event in Tampa at Dick’s House of Sport with the Franklin Pickleball Team. Connecting with fans, giving paddle demos, and sharing on-court skills is what growing the game is all about.

Now, I’m headed solo to Chengdu, China this week for an exciting opportunity to help expand pickleball in Asia. I won’t lie—mom guilt is real. Leaving the kids is always tough, especially since we’ve built a life around traveling the country together in the RV. Ryler’s got some fun plans while I’m gone (Universal Studios and Easter festivities), but I’ll miss them every second. Logistically, it just didn’t work out for all of us to go right before the US Open.

So when that 4am alarm goes off tomorrow, it’s just me hopping into an Uber and starting a two-day journey across the world. Big things ahead, and I’m grateful for the chance to be part of it.

Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel — Megan Fudge Pickleball — to stay up to date with all the latest tournaments, travel, training, and behind-the-scenes vlogs. I’m learning every week and loving this journey.