In their 70s and going strong: Wichita duo finds success, friendship in pickleball

At 73 and 72, Dan Hill and Patty Rothweiler aren’t slowing down. They’re just now hitting their stride on the national pickleball scene.

Over the weekend, the Wichita duo earned a bronze medal in mixed doubles at the National Senior Games Association tournament in Des Moines, Iowa. It’s their latest podium finish on the national stage.

Partners for the past six years, Hill and Rothweiler have established themselves as one of the top teams in the 70-74 age division at the 4.0 skill level. Their highlight: a national title at the 2023 USA Pickleball championships in the Dallas area.

But their greatest wins aren’t always measured in medals — they’re found in community, connection and the joy of the game.

“Pickleball is something that keeps us going, and I just can’t tell you how fulfilling it is to be able to compete and meet people,” Hill said. “It really is life-changing.”

Their partnership started with a rejection and a lucky break. Hill, just getting into the game, showed up to a casual night of pickleball with his wife, Lori. She already had a partner. He didn’t. When one player turned him down, she shouted to her friend, “Hey Patty, will you come down and play with Dan?”

That impromptu match sparked a partnership that blossomed into a tight-knit, competitive duo. Over the years, they’ve become one of senior pickleball’s most consistent mixed doubles teams — known for their precise “dinking” near the net and a brick-wall defense that wears opponents down.

“What makes us a good team is that we’re both really consistent,” Hill said. “We play a defensive game and let other teams make the errors. If you’re going to beat us, you’re really going to have to beat us.”

Their steady style has frustrated opponents of all ages. With few local players in their age bracket, Hill and Rothweiler often take on younger challengers at Wichita spots like Chicken N Pickle, Tap N Paddles and the Wichita Country Club. They play about four times a week and drill specifically to fine-tune their touch at the net.

Both Hill and Rothweiler bring athletic pedigree. Hill was a standout football player at Southeast High and signed with Missouri before injuries prematurely ended his career. He picked up tennis while living in Denver, and when he returned to Wichita in 2012, pickleball quickly became his new outlet.

Rothweiler, a 1970 South High graduate, was a multisport athlete before Title IX. She played field hockey, softball and tennis. After retiring from Spirit AeroSystems in 2016, she picked up a paddle and never looked back.

“When you have that competitive spirit, I don’t think you ever lose it,” Rothweiler said. “No matter how old you are.”

What started as recreational games in Wichita has grown into something much bigger. Their bronze in Des Moines marked back-to-back top-3 finishes at the NSGA tournament and fulfilled a dream born when they first became partners.

“I remember when I first started playing, I heard a couple of guys say they were going to play in a national tournament,” Rothweiler said. “I thought, ‘Wow, that’s awesome.’

“I told Dan that someday I wanted to go to nationals and he said he did too. And now we made it.”

The medals are nice. But the real reward has been the community they’ve found.

In Des Moines, the competition was meaningful, but the real joy came after: sharing meals, laughs and stories with players from all over the country. What starts as competition often turns into friendship.

“Now that I think about it, most of our friends now are pickleball players,” Hill said. “It really has changed our lives.”

“We’ve both made so many new friends who are pickleball players,” Rothweiler said. “I can’t imagine my life without all of them.”

Beyond the competition and camaraderie, Hill and Rothweiler see the game as a gift — and a reason to stay active and keep going.

“There are so many people our age not able to do that, so we feel very blessed and thankful to be able to do what we do,” Hill said. “At our age, we’ve all lost friends to cancer or whatever. So we’re just blessed to be able to travel around the country and play this game. I never dreamed of doing that at 73 years old.”

And they don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

“We both have that never-give-up attitude,” Rothweiler said. “We’ve been down 10-0 before and the game is to 11, but if you have that will power and that drive to win, then you just keep playing and anything is possible.”

“To think that we can still compete at this age, it almost makes you feel like you’re a kid again.”

This story was originally published July 30, 2025 at 6:02 AM.