專訪｜中華民國匹克球總會理事長 周曉琴：從金車董娘到愛打匹克球的仙蒂嬤

EDITOR Annie Chien｜TRANSLATOR Aurora Lin｜PHOTOGRAPHER Leon Hung｜LOCATION Dinking Otters Pickleball Escape（DOPE 水獺綠洲匹克球俱樂部）

許多人認識周曉琴（Sandy），是因為「金車董娘」四個字，但這兩年，她有了一個新的稱呼——仙蒂嬤。不是退休後含飴弄孫的普通阿嬤，而是一身輕便裝束現身球場、眼神裡帶著光，愛打匹克球的「仙蒂嬤」。現任中華民國匹克球總會理事長的她，也是台灣匹克球風潮最重要的推手之一。

走進平日下午的 DOPE 水獺綠洲匹克球俱樂部，放眼望去場地全滿，來打球的人從 Z 世代到銀髮族都有，球拍與球碰撞聲此起彼落。Sandy 坐在場邊，視線跟著球走，嘴裡說道：「邀請大家出來運動，本身就是一件滿好的事。」語氣平靜，但背後她為此跑遍全台、踢過不少鐵板。

孩子都大了，金車文教基金會走得穩，Sandy 選擇在人生下半場重新創業。起點是在美國友人家後院第一次拿起匹克球拍，那一局打完，當時是疫情期間，而她心裡已經有了底：「這個東西，台灣還沒有。」她說自己想事情的方式不像傳統體育人，更在意的是市場潛力：「我要做 leader，不要做 follower。」這句話從一個六十出頭的女人口中說出來，甚至有點帥。從家庭走向球場，Sandy 把這段轉折形容為「重新創業」。上半場的專業是母親，下半場，她帶著解決問題的膽識與不怕困難的韌性，走進了一個全新的場域。

Reinventing Life After 60
From King Car Matriarch to Pickleball Pioneer

Many people know Sandy Chou because of her association with the King Car Group. But over the past two years, she has acquired a new nickname: “Grandma Sandy.” Not the kind of grandmother who spends her days at home doting on grandchildren, but one who shows up on the pickleball court in sportswear, eyes lit with enthusiasm and a paddle in hand. Today, as President of the Chinese Taipei Pickleball Federation, she has become one of the driving forces behind Taiwan’s growing pickleball movement.

Stepping into Dinking Otters Pickleball Escape on a weekday afternoon, every court is occupied. Players range from Gen Z newcomers to active seniors, while the rhythmic sounds of paddles striking balls echo throughout the venue.
Sitting courtside, Sandy follows the action intently before remarking, “Getting people out to exercise is already a wonderful thing in itself.” The comment is delivered calmly, but behind it lies years of effort, countless road trips across Taiwan, and more than a few obstacles along the way.

With her children grown and the King Car Cultural & Educational Foundation firmly established, Sandy decided to embark on a second entrepreneurial journey in the next chapter of her life. The story began in the backyard of a friend’s home in the United States, where she picked up a pickleball paddle for the first time. By the end of that game—during the height of the pandemic—she already knew one thing for certain: “Taiwan doesn’t have this yet.” Unlike traditional sports professionals, Sandy approached the opportunity from a different perspective. What interested her most was the sport’s potential.
“I want to be a leader, not a follower.” Coming from a woman in her sixties, the statement carries a quiet confidence. Sandy describes her transition from family life to the pickleball court as “starting a business all over again.” If motherhood defined the first half of her life, then the second half has been shaped by the courage to solve problems, the willingness to take risks, and the resilience to step into an entirely unfamiliar arena.

Sandy 說，她很早就喜歡爬山和高爾夫，但這兩樣都怕天氣，一下雨計畫全泡湯。匹克球不同，室內室外都能打，球拍往背包一丟，約好人就能出發。這種「低門檻、高社交」的特質，正是讓它在全球迅速延燒的關鍵。「它介於羽球、網球和桌球之間，台灣人從小有持拍運動的底子，上手很快。」最重要的是，打球時雙方距離更近，笑聲和互動自然多，打起來像在玩，而不像在訓練。能流一身汗、練心肺，卻不像其他運動那樣叫人喊苦，Sandy 說，這正是匹克球最難得的地方：是運動，也是一場又一場的遊戲。

在推廣過程中，最讓她有感的畫面之一，是看見祖孫三代同場打球。「老中青三代都能玩，可以串起家族感情，這種運動不多。」她也把匹克球帶進臺北特殊教育學校、原住民部落、警察局、消防隊，甚至推廣輪椅匹克球給身障者。「球和拍子都很親民，沒有貧富差距，這是它真正平權的地方。」在她眼裡，讓人動起來本身就是公益，也和各界愈來愈重視的 ESG 精神不謀而合。她也直說，匹克球好玩，但打得好不容易。「如果太容易，就沒有挑戰性了。」正是這「入門快、精進難」的甜蜜點，讓愈來愈多人打了第一局，就開始想著下一局。Sandy 說她常跟朋友形容：「匹克球會一試成主顧！」

Sandy says she has always enjoyed hiking and golf. The drawback, however, is that both are heavily dependent on the weather. Pickleball is different. It can be played indoors or outdoors. Toss a paddle into your bag, call a few friends, and you are ready to go. Its low barrier to entry and highly social nature are exactly what have fuelled its explosive global growth. “It sits somewhere between badminton, tennis and table tennis,” she explains. “People in Taiwan already grow up with racket sports, so they pick it up very quickly.” More importantly, players stand closer together. Conversations happen naturally. There is more laughter, more interaction, and less of the pressure often associated with competitive sports. You work up a sweat. You improve your cardiovascular fitness. Yet it rarely feels like training. “That’s what makes pickleball so special,” Sandy says. “It’s a sport, but it also feels like a game.”

One of the moments that has moved her most during the promotion process is seeing three generations of a family sharing the same court. “Grandparents, parents and children can all play together. There aren’t many sports that can strengthen family bonds in that way.” She has introduced pickleball to Taipei Special School, Indigenous communities, police departments, fire stations, and even wheelchair users. “The paddles and balls are affordable and accessible. There’s no barrier based on wealth. That’s what makes it truly inclusive.” In her eyes, simply getting people moving is already a form of public service. It also aligns naturally with the growing emphasis on ESG values across society. Sandy is also quick to point out that while pickleball is easy to learn, it is far from easy to master. “If it were too easy, there wouldn’t be any challenge.” That sweet spot—easy to start, difficult to perfect—is precisely what keeps players coming back. Many people play one game and immediately start thinking about the next. As Sandy often tells her friends: “Once you try pickleball, you’ll keep coming back for more.”

推廣初期，有人說 Sandy 是誤入叢林的小白兔。一個沒有體育背景的企業家太太，要跑去跟政府單位談一項陌生運動，處境可想而知。「一開始單位總執著在：這是不是亞奧運項目？」面對難題，Sandy 沒有正面硬碰，而是換個角度切入：用推廣產品的邏輯，談這項運動的市場潛力與社會效益，慢慢讓各方看見匹克球的可能性。現在，她推動的教練講習場場秒殺，來的人裡有體育老師、運動中心教練、羽球教練，還有一群渴望精進球技的愛好者。「熱情跟決心，會讓問題變得不是問題。」這是 Sandy 的人生態度，也是她這幾年最真實的推廣心得。

六月底，她受邀到台體大演講，對象是真正的體育人，她說有點受寵若驚，但講起匹克球的推廣邏輯，她顯然駕輕就熟。近期，她正積極推動國際賽事落地台灣，引進 APP（美國匹克球協會，Association of Pickleball Players）賽事，讓台灣選手有機會與國際好手同場較量，也讓世界看見台北。背後還有亞洲菁英匹克球聯盟（Asian Elite Pickleball League）的支持，成員不乏台灣商界翹楚，那隻當年的「小白兔」，早已把整個台灣當球場跑遍。

In the early days, some people described Sandy as a little rabbit lost in the jungle. A businesswoman with no sports background trying to convince government agencies to embrace an unfamiliar sport was never going to have an easy journey. “At the beginning, everyone was fixated on one question,” she recalls. “Is it an Asian Games or Olympic sport?” Rather than confronting the issue head-on, Sandy chose a different approach. Drawing on her experience promoting products, she focused on pickleball’s market potential and social value, gradually helping others see the possibilities it offered. Today, the coaching certification programmes she promotes fill up almost immediately. Participants include PE teachers, sports-centre coaches, badminton instructors and passionate players eager to improve their game. “Passion and determination make problems stop feeling like problems.” It is both Sandy’s personal philosophy and the lesson she has learned from years of promoting the sport.

At the end of June, she was invited to speak at National Taiwan University of Sport. Addressing an audience of professional sports educators and practitioners, she admits she felt somewhat humbled. Yet when it comes to discussing the logic behind growing pickleball, she speaks with confidence and clarity. Recently, she has been actively working to bring international competitions to Taiwan, including events organised by the Association of Pickleball Players (APP). Her goal is to create opportunities for Taiwanese athletes to compete alongside international players while allowing the world to see Taipei as a destination for the sport. Supporting these efforts is the Asian Elite Pickleball League, whose members include many of Taiwan’s leading business figures. The little rabbit who once wandered into unfamiliar territory has long since turned the entire island into her playing field.

訪談尾聲，聊起 60＋重新創業，Sandy 說，推廣匹克球之外，最重要的還是家人：「想多跟家人相處。」孩子有空會陪她打球，四歲的孫女也有專屬的小朋友球拍。提起孫女，似乎又開啟 Sandy 的另一個話匣子，住在天母的孫女，曾問媽媽：「彭于晏是誰？」媽媽說：「是個明星啊。」孫女想了想一問：「跟阿嬤一樣嗎？」原來，她以為阿嬤常常要被人訪問，當然也是明星。

說到這裡，Sandy 笑出聲。六十一歲，她在球場上重新找回熱血青春，在孫女的童言童語裡得到意外的肯定，也在人生下半場證明——從零開始，什麼時候都不晚。

As the conversation draws to a close, the topic turns to entrepreneurship after 60. Beyond promoting pickleball, Sandy says her greatest priority remains simple: “Spending more time with my family.” Her children occasionally join her on the court, and her four-year-old granddaughter even has a pickleball paddle of her own. The mention of her granddaughter opens up an entirely different side of Sandy. One day, her granddaughter, who lives in Tianmu, asked her mother: “Who is Eddie Peng?” “He’s a celebrity,” her mother replied. After thinking for a moment, the little girl asked: “Like Grandma?” After all, in her eyes, Grandma was always being interviewed. Surely that made her a celebrity too.
After all, she reasoned, Grandma is interviewed all the time. Surely that makes her a celebrity too.

At the memory, Sandy bursts into laughter. At sixty-one, she has rediscovered a youthful sense of excitement on the pickleball court. Through the innocent words of her granddaughter, she has found an unexpected affirmation. And in this second half of life, she has proven something both simple and inspiring: It is never too late to start again.