Alison likes to go with the flow and is not prone to too much introspection. She considers herself “a basic human”, yet her sporting prowess and achievement would point to something well beyond. Alison was a knock-about child, a tomboy who had a much greater interest in the physical pursuits of the local boys; riding bikes, climbing trees and playing ball, than she had in dolls, dresses and sedentary activities. It was Alison’s school which first identified her sporting talent and encouraged it. Each school formed a relay team for interschool competition, always with 11-year-olds in their final year of elementary school. Alison clearly recalls the happy day when, as a mere nine-year-old, she was notified that she had been selected and was presented with her school representative shorts and jersey. She promptly donned the new kit and headed to the park to practice her sprint starts. Alison does nothing by halves. She joined every sports team she could in secondary school. It was at the age of 16 that Alison encountered her first, great sporting love; badminton, which is ironically not actually a ball sport. Her other sports had developed speed and agility, so Alison’s new sport required her to focus on dexterity and racquet skills. Within a year of picking up a badminton racquet and a shuttlecock, Alison was national champion and on the path to a professional career.

At the time, badminton was hugely popular in the UK where almost every available space was utilised for play. Even church halls were used every evening between 5pm and midnight, so great was the demand, badminton being the second largest sport by participant numbers. After school, Alison had originally contemplated going to a PE College to become a sports teacher, something she is now thankful never happened as she knows being in schools would never have satisfied her ambitions. A much better option presented itself to Alison, so she joined the Civil Service. While on paper she worked for the Government Bank, across her three years in the position she actually did little by way of administrative work. The Civil Services fielded teams for inter-agency competitions, and it was in being a sportswoman that Alison’s daily efforts were concentrated as she was given leave to compete, such as travelling to London to take part in competition against the armed forces. It was during this time, in her late teens, that Alison met the man who later became her husband. She had already left home, so when she decided to turn professional as a badminton player at the age of 21 and quit her job to move to London, it was not a wrench.

For the subsequent seven years, during which she married, Alison travelled and competed as a professional. She won national championships and was part of the Scottish team which competed in the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane in 1982 and Edinburgh in 1986, although she never became an Olympian. Badminton was not admitted to the Olympics until 1992, by which time Alison had retired from professional competition at the age of 28, although she still played in national competition for a further two years. Alison also experienced success competing in European and All-England Championships.

This intense sports focus, with its gruelling training and competition demands over more than a decade had robbed Alison of the carefree years of her young adulthood. Foreseeing settling down to start a family getting closer, Alison and her husband, along with another couple, decided to indulge in a belated “gap year” of world-travel and adventure. But before the trip even began, Alison and her husband separated and the trip had only three amigos. It was also a time of self-discovery for Alison as she realised and then acknowledged that she is gay. She and her husband divorced and she has never remarried despite having several long-term relationships. Alison believes it is an unrealistic expectation of a person to remain with a partner for 20 or more years, since people change as they age. Upon returning from her travels, Alison turned to coaching, and was engaged in transferring her knowledge and skills to junior players for over a decade.

A generally calm and balanced person happy to just go with the flow, Alison concedes that in dealing with her, there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed. She will not tolerate cheating, for example. She is a woman of few words, who prefers to avoid small talk in favour of more meaningful interactions. Alison is matter-of-face, to the point of bluntness when the situation demands, an important quality for a coach as athletes need honest feedback and genuine encouragement and achievable targets to achieve peak performance. Alison was not flowery or over-emotional with her junior charges, but it was clear when she was satisfied with their efforts.

By the time she turned 40, Alison was ready to include another challenge in her life. In partnership with her mother, Alison bought and operated an aged-care home, while still involved in coaching in the early morning and later evening hours. Burning the candle at both ends for ten or so years, Alison developed body soreness and received a diagnosis of stress asthma, which caused her to rethink coaching commitments. It was wise investment decisions across this decade, and the development of a property portfolio, which allowed Alison to sell the care home when she turned 50 and focus on herself, for a change.

Alison visited Hua Hin for the first time nearly 20 years ago, just as it began its leap forward, with the opening of its first big shopping mall. She was immediately taken by the town’s diversity, its easy-going vibe, friendly Thai inhabitants and good food, whether from a street cart or a high-end restaurant. Around that time, Alison moved to Florida in the US to be closer to her mother who had already made the move. She bought a home in a gated community and began sharing her time between Florida and Hua Hin, grateful for the outdoor lifestyle both countries allowed, in comparison to Scotland. Now having time to spare, Alison became a committed golfer, giving free rein to her competitive streak. Currently playing several times a week, Alison wishes golf was cheaper in Hua Hin, finding it similar in cost to play as in both the US and Scotland, though perhaps with a slightly less pricey 19th hole.

All her adult life, Alison has shown focus and dedication to the task at hand, even though it didn’t truly feel like work, as she loved all she did. Post-retirement from work, her thoughts turned to new sporting options. Alison turned to pickleball and has become a professional player once again. Pickleball is experiencing rapid growth in Thailand, emerging as a popular social and fitness activity. Known locally as "ping pong yai" (big ping pong), the sport has exploded in popularity since 2022 due to its accessibility, social nature, and appeal to all age groups, popular among a diverse mix of Thai residents, expats, and tourists. New courts and training facilities are opening, with dedicated sports hubs in Hua Hin. The sport's rise is driven by its low-impact nature, lower skill barrier compared to tennis, and the social atmosphere of "open play" sessions. For Alison personally, the transition from one racquet sport to another was relatively easy, with pickleball being a return to her most beloved ball sports.

While many players are in it for fitness and its social aspect, Alison plays to win. She quickly earned a 5.0 ranking, which within four months became 5.5. As the calibre of her competition increases, so do the ranking numbers which now reach into the 7s. There is more room for development, a challenge that Alison still needs. As a Seniors player, Alison won the World Championship as well as the Huntsman Games and the US Nationals. When asked about how she has enough spaces for all her badminton and pickleball trophies and medallions, Alison confessed that the badminton ones were all donated to charity a long time ago and pickleball tournaments now only reap medallions.

Thanks to Elaine Shallcross, the tournament’s original director, Alison and a small and dedicated team that Hua Hin has now hosted the Thai Open Pickleball Championships five times, with 2026 seeing 430 competitors from around the world. Hua Hin is most firmly on the map as an international pickleball destination, in no small part due to Alison’s dedication and commitment to the sport.

Considering herself a “foodie”, Alison has a particular fondness of Thai seafood though she rues her natural instinct of making sure each and every plate she shares in a Thai-style meal is polished off properly, hating to see good food go to waste. Eating well and staying healthy and active, Alison is making use of her time to engage in intellectual pursuits as well. She has been learning Thai, she claims with disastrous results, as well as learning drums, which she says is much harder and more technical than it looks. Alison likes games involving strategy and has played in backgammon tournaments as well as learning to play bridge, which she feels will take her a long time to master.

Alison is now contentedly single and glad to live in Thailand, her favourite place on earth, though she is still hoping for further travel, with Machu Pichu in Peru, Japan, Vietnam and Laos still on her bucket list. Alison is a woman of zest and positivity who admires the professional and personal achievements of the Williams sisters, who had much to overcome to reach the pinnacle of tennis. Perhaps one day, sooner than you think, Alison might be cited as a pickleball legend to the young generation, as she generously offers coaching and encouragement to new and younger players.

Alison loves her time walking along the beach then having a massage but wishes some people knew going shirtless is only ever appropriate on the beach in Thailand. Fearless in so many aspects of her life, Alison loves the concept of the sea, but doesn’t swim, afraid of the animal life lurking in the water. She proclaims she’s terrified of dogs too, a fear passed to her by her mother, also a cynophobe. Although Hua Hin has a large contingent of soi dogs, Alison is social only with the humans and will abandon her motor-scooter for a car trip instead if she spies dogs about. Even in her favourite place in the world, Alison understands that one has to make choices and compromises to be happy and secure in one’s life.