Vanguard Program
Represent more than a paddle. Join a selective community of coaches, instructors, and community leaders shaping the future of pickleball.
Who We're Looking For
Coaches & Instructors
Teaching pros running clinics and lessons who can put Costa paddles in players' hands where buying decisions are formed.
Content Creators
Players creating pickleball content who can authentically showcase Costa to their audience through reviews, gameplay, and tips.
Community Leaders
Club organizers, event hosts, and local advocates with credibility and influence in their pickleball community.
Competitive Players
Tournament players who compete at a high level and want equipment that matches their commitment to the game.
What You Get
Tiered Commissions
Two performance-based tiers with the flexibility to receive earnings as cash or store credit.
Personal Discount Code
Your own exclusive discount code for Costa paddles and merchandise.
Starter Kit - $100
One paddle from each series. Over 85% off retail. Earn it back with 5 sales.
Early Product Access
First access to new paddles and prototypes, with a chance to provide feedback.
Social Spotlight
Featured on Costa's social media to highlight your community impact.
Marketing Toolkit
Spec sheets, branded templates, demo flyers, and promotion materials.
How It Works
Apply
Tell us about yourself and your pickleball community
30-Day Trial
Demonstrate real product exposure and engagement
Get Selected
1–2 members per market based on activity and fit
Grow Together
Exclusive benefits, community, and ongoing support
Ready to Join?
The Vanguard Program is selective by design. We're looking for people who represent the spirit of Costa Pickleball.
Apply to the Vanguard ProgramMeet Our Vanguards
These are the coaches, instructors, and community builders who represent Costa Pickleball on and off the court. Their dedication to growing the game reflects the values at the heart of everything we do.
Blaine Cochran
Results-driven Head Pickleball Professional with a proven record of transforming recreational programming into structured, revenue-producing systems. PPR Certified (since 2023) with 40+ years of leadership and performance coaching experience. Specializes in league expansion, instructional system design, youth development, and long-term player retention.
Blaine has been playing for over 3 years and teaching for 2.5 years, during which time he has taught approximately 800 students. His greatest joy is seeing people grow in self-awareness as a person and player and succeed.
Dave Kossak
Dave has been playing pickleball since 2020, learning the game in Kyle, Texas. His game progressed rapidly until his rating peaked at 3.4 to 3.5. The decision to move into instructing came from an unexpected moment that changed everything.
While volunteering to teach a class of new players in Laughlin, Nevada, Dave met a quiet woman in her late 60s who picked up the game quickly. A year later, he returned to find her now teaching others. She told him he had saved her life. Her husband of 50-plus years had died shortly before that first class, and she had been in the grips of depression and isolation. Pickleball and its community changed her life forever. Her story changed Dave's.
Pickleball Dave's was born from that experience. Dave introduces approximately 100 people a year to pickleball through his clinics, charging a minimal fee of $12.50 per 90-minute session. The goal was never profit. It was service to the seniors in his community.
Long before becoming an official ambassador, Stanley sent Dave paddles to try out, and those paddles were shared with students who did not own their own. Over time, Dave saw how closely Stanley's core beliefs and company focus paralleled his own teaching goals. It also helped that Costa Pickleball paddles far exceeded his expectations, ultimately leading him to retire his longtime Gearbox paddle.