Edwards Audiologist Drafted to Denver Iconics for Pro Pickleball

Aspen —The wind off the Roaring Fork cuts sharp against the chain-link fence at Aspen Glen Country Club. Daria Stakiw-Harlow steps in, racket low, and snaps a return that dies on the opponent’s baseline. She doesn’t celebrate. She just resets her stance, eyes locked on the next serve.

This is what happens when a hobby refuses to stay casual. Stakiw-Harlow, an Edwards-based audiologist and mother of five, is no longer just playing pickleball. This spring, she was drafted onto the Denver Iconics, a professional team competing in the Champions Series Pickleball Prime Division (40-plus). The move marks a shift from the local tournament circuit to the national stage, where teams from cities like Austin, Seattle, and Houston travel monthly to compete alongside Major League Pickleball events.

Stakiw-Harlow has lived in the Roaring Fork Valley for more than 20 years. She picked up the sport about a decade ago, initially to spend time with her Canadian parents while they wintered in Arizona. When the family returned to Colorado, she brought that energy back with her.

“Anything everyone does in our family is a competition,” Stakiw-Harlow told the Vail Daily. “When we came back to Colorado, we started getting people our own age to play... And we started doing the tournament circuit and doing pretty well.”

That “pretty well” was an understatement. In 2023, Stakiw-Harlow claimed three gold medals at the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships, topping the 5.0 women’s open-age division, the 5.0 mixed open-age division, and the 5.0 women’s 30-40 age division.

The path to the Iconics wasn’t a sudden flash of ambition; it was a slow burn fueled by local infrastructure. James Main, the co-owner of the Seattle Tsunami team, alerted Stakiw-Harlow to the draft opportunity. Main’s influence in the valley dates back to the early 2010s, when he served as the athletic director at the Glenwood Springs Community Center.

“He got pickleball courts at the Glenwood Springs Community Center,” Stakiw-Harlow noted. “That was a big change for the valley.”

To be drafted, athletes could attend a combine to get rated in front of owners or enter the pool if they already possessed a high enough rating. The Iconics specifically wanted a Colorado player on each of their teams. When ownership reached out to the 47-year-old, she didn’t hesitate.

“I said, ‘Of course, absolutely,'” Stakiw-Harlow said.

She isn’t the only Western Slope player making the jump to professional ranks this season. Stakiw-Harlow’s coach, Grand Junction’s Tao Thongvanh, was drafted to the Denver Iconics for the Premier Division (50-plus). Meanwhile, Basalt player Mary Ellen Elizondo was drafted to the Kansas City Stingers in the Masters Division (60-plus).

The expansion of the Champions Series Pickleball, formerly the National Pickleball League, reflects a broader maturation of the sport. Established in 2022 and now entering its fourth season, the league expanded from 12 to 16 teams following a March partnership with Major League Pickleball. For locals, this means the casual game played on community courts is now feeding a professional ecosystem that demands travel, training, and serious commitment.

Stakiw-Harlow’s story highlights a specific trajectory: the casual social activity that becomes an obsession, then a career. It’s not exactly a surprise to those who’ve watched her dominate regional tournaments for years, but it is a notable shift for the region. The valley produced three players for professional rosters this draft, showing just how deeply the sport has rooted itself in local culture.

Back at Aspen Glen, the practice continues. The sun is lower now, casting long shadows across the court. Stakiw-Harlow wipes sweat from her forehead and steps back to the baseline, ready for another rally. The game is faster now, the stakes higher, but the rhythm is the same.