Silver Server: An Athlete + His Airstream

AS A PROFESSIONAL PICKLEBALL PLAYER, Tyson McGuffin is a pioneer, pushing forward the sport that, over the last decade or so, burst out of obscurity to transform block parties, rec centers and (yes) RV parks nationwide. (Pickleball was invented by a bored Washington State family back in 1965 and remained homespun and little-known for many years. Early-2000s tournaments at an Arizona RV resort are now seen as harbingers of the sport’s phenomenal rise.) While the rest of us are still figuring out our serve and how to stay out of “the kitchen,” this former high-level tennis player is exploring an elite, rapidly evolving version of the sport: kinetic, flowing, physical and lightning-quick, played for increasingly high stakes. 

“When I started, to be honest, it was a passion project,” the 36-year-old says. “But in 2023 and ’24 alone, we saw a 300-percent increase in pro pay. This is the first year we’ve done international events.” 

Born in Washington (like pickleball!) and now based in Idaho, McGuffin looks the part of pro athlete. He’s ripped, tattooed and charismatic, with the social-media following and internet-influencer trappings to match. And like any high-performing competitor, he wants to tune his environment to be as conducive to victory as possible.

That’s where the Airstream Interstate 19GT enters McGuffin’s story. As he travels the sport’s fast-growing pro world, McGuffin and his family—his wife, Megan, and four kids—have adopted the iconic brand’s compact, 19-foot Class B as a tournament headquarters. The vehicle’s efficient layout makes it an all-purpose refuge in the hectic scenes that can surround pickleball’s most prominent events. (McGuffin competes in singles and doubles in both the Professional Pickleball Association’s tennis-style tournaments and the team-format Major League Pickleball, where he plays for the Phoenix Flames.) 

For McGuffin, the RV serves as both a safe space for relaxation and as a family anchor. 

READ MORE: How Airstream's First Iconic Trailer Set the Silver Standard

“It’s just so convenient to have my own home base in the parking lot,” he says. “I can do my recovery. The kids can take a nap. It gives us an opportunity to set up an environment that’s not too different than we’d have in an AirBnB, but it’s right there.” 

McGuffin is familiar with balancing family dynamics and sporting ambition. He grew up as the youngest of seven kids in a wrestling-obsessed family. “I was the only one who played racquet sports,” he says of his teenage decision to focus on tennis, which he says caused some parental broken hearts. After a competitive college career and time on the pro tennis circuit, it seemed like he would settle into the well-worn career path of club teaching pro. 

But a different court sport called him: the fast-growing pickleball craze, where his tennis skills, athleticism and competitive drive soon lifted him into the elite. Even playing at the pro level—where serves swerve at top speeds and net play unfolds at blazing, ping-pong pace—he remains connected to the sport’s grassroots, teaching clinics and creating how-to videos. 

“Pickleball just checks so many boxes for people,” he says. “It’s community and meeting people. It’s fitness. To get the most out of it, you have to love the sport and everything that comes with it—the fundamentals, good technique. That will win at all levels. Drilling is key. You should spend 60 percent of your time on court drilling, and 40 percent playing games.” 

Beyond the specifics of play, McGuffin’s advice to those who want to get better at this game speaks to the serenity he seeks in his parking-lot retreat on wheels. 

“Focus on the process,” McGuffin says, “not the result.”