What We LOVE About Pickleball with Francyne Jewett

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's fun because John likes to start in the middle.
So I said this time let's startthe beginning.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Yeah, I got some pre-pod coaching.
It was funny because I didn'task for it, but I got it.

Speaker 3 (00:12):
Well, what else are wives for, I mean?
And you said yes, dear right.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
I did.
Then I said do you want to runthe show?

Speaker 3 (00:23):
Yeah, I'm thinking Karen's probably like no, no,
you do it, but we all know thetruth.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
I just like to pick up what others can do better.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
I just like to make my stars superstars.
Do you want to be here?
Or do you want to be here?

Speaker 3 (00:37):
You're just thinking of your husband.
You're just thinking of others.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
That's right, she's a giver.
I'm a giver.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Easy, big fella.
Hey, welcome back everybody.
Season one, episode five.
Today we're lucky enough totalk with our buddy, Francine
Jewett.
And Francine, in addition tobeing co-founder of Pickleball
Teamworks, regional director forUSA Pickleball Coach and
Principal of AAU Paddles UpPickleball Club.
We met her because she washeading up the effort for the
volunteers at the nationals PPAnationals that were in

(01:09):
Brookhaven last month, which, asyou know, was just an
unbelievable effort.
So, throughout all that, sheremains just the cheerful and
nicest person, most cheerful andnicest person you'll want to
meet, francine Jewett.
We're going to have a greatconversation with her.
Stick around.
So, francine, how's your weekgoing so far?

Speaker 3 (01:25):
It is going really well had played this morning,
for I think we played for likethree hours.
Oh my goodness, great group ofladies Wednesday mornings out at
LB Houston.
And we play really competitive,great games, you know, mixed
around round Robin style and fun, fun group of ladies, and then

(01:48):
we go have tacos Afterwards.
So I mean that's a great day,that sounds like the best day
ever, so where's?

Speaker 1 (01:55):
LB Houston.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
So it's yeah, it's over Dallas, kind of off of I
guess Luna, maybe I just get inthe car and go.
There's like a golf course anda gun range and a really nice
tennis center and they have justadded beautiful new dedicated
courts.
So how many, how many people?

Speaker 1 (02:18):
They have.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
I believe they have eight and it would be surprised
me if they bumped out to anotherset of courts on.
You know a tennis court that'sright next to them.
You know what that is?
I mean, that's incredible.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
We're here in Southlake.
We were splitting, we have fourcourts that are not dedicated
and now they're.
You know they're building thefirst pickleball center but it's
going to have nine courts and Imean it's almost like that's
not enough.

Speaker 3 (02:49):
I mean probably when the project first started it was
enough and now it's just it'sblown past that yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
You can't even.
I think that somebody told usthat would prevent them from
being able to host a realtournament because there's just
not enough courts anyway.

Speaker 3 (03:02):
I mean they could do a small something.
But yeah, yes, yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
Now, how long?
Let's kind of get yourpickleball journey.
I know that we, you know, welove to share our occasion,
we're kind of pandemic picklers.
And but how about yourself?
When did you get into this?
And then, when did you reallyget into this?

Speaker 3 (03:18):
So I've been playing pickleball for about 12 years
Wow.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (03:24):
I should be much better than I am 12 years.

Speaker 1 (03:27):
Are you from?

Speaker 3 (03:28):
here.
No, I don't know.
We've lived everywhere.
I'm from San Diego originally.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
Oh, okay, yeah, so this is actually the second time
.

Speaker 3 (03:37):
No, we started in Green Bay, wisconsin.
So about 12 years ago we movedfrom here.
We actually lived in Rockwall,actually in the house across the
street from the one wecurrently own, but we moved to
Green Bay, wisconsin, and I hadnever lived any place cold, any
place, with, you know, snow andcrazy temperatures.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
I think it's cold.

Speaker 3 (04:00):
And it's.
Yeah, listen, I know whatnegative 50 wind chill feels
like and it's not good.
It's not good, thanks.
Yeah, I was there.
And about the same time, myparents, who live north of
Atlanta, moved to an activeadult community and my mom said
hey, you need to come down.
Dad and I are playing thissport Everybody's going crazy
about it and they had one courtand I thought this will be great

(04:22):
.
Our kids, at the time of theirages, they wanted to be outside.
They, you know, would ridebikes and play outside, and we
didn't know how to play in snow,like that was just weird.
So we had, you know, a garagewith a heater in it.
It's a heated garage, becausethat's what you do up there, I
guess and so I set up a net andwe just started playing in our
garage, and it was more me thanthe kids.

(04:44):
But, um, and then, ironically,our local um YMCA started with a
court and a friend of mine whowas a member of the Y said hey,
they're starting this, thatweird pickleball thing that
you've been doing.
And so I went over there andjust started playing and, uh,
but your question about when didI really get serious about it,

(05:06):
was when we moved back to Texas.
Our kids were, you know, onewas in college and two were
finishing up high school, and soI just went crazy for it, so
crazy for it for about six years.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
It's crazy for about six years and um now, and for
people who don't know, we'retalking to Francine Jewett, who
you also have a business that'spickleball related, so we did
when did that first start.

Speaker 3 (05:31):
Well, that's our.
That's the latest pickleballadventure that, um, I'm on, uh,
just really a few months ago, myfriend Melissa and Pedro's and
I we've done tons of eventstogether, team building events.
We've done tournaments together.
We've, um, you know, raisedmoney for things together.
We work with kids.
We I do a lot of stuff in,melissa does as well and we

(05:52):
thought, why aren't wemonetizing this?
Let's, let's get into this teambuilding, uh stuff, and it's,
we've had a great response to it.
We're going to hit it reallyhard in 2024.
Um, you know, our, our liveshave gotten very busy, mine
especially this past year and so, yeah, it's been, it's, we've

(06:13):
gotten great reception from itand that's how we got to meet
you guys.
We got, you know, out there atchicken and pickle, at the dink
drink and demo and bought thecool shirt and got to be friends
there Best friend Me and I lovepickleball.

Speaker 1 (06:26):
Yeah, okay, so going back cause you're I mean sounds
like you're really good right.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
Oh, I'm 12 years.

Speaker 3 (06:32):
I only wish I had.
I wish I had 12 years.
I'm a four.
Oh, I mean, come on, I amdecent, but you know.

Speaker 1 (06:41):
I'm working on it.
I'm working on it, but I mean Iwas like I wish I had 12 years
under my belt and I'm so excitedto like see kids get in this.
Did your kids ever pick it backup Like I mean, I know you were
serious, but yeah, no, not somuch.

Speaker 3 (06:54):
They and their young adults now, although our
daughter, who I'll have to saynow, is my favorite at this
moment because she and herfiance they just moved out to
California and they're playinglike three or four times a week,
so they are currently myfavorite kids.
No, I encouraged my kids to getit started at their college.
I was like I will come out, Iwill, I will teach, I will, I

(07:14):
will help you get a programstarted.
And they just, you know, youknow how kids are yeah, that's
okay, mom.

Speaker 2 (07:22):
Thanks mom, we did the exact same thing, but you
know what?

Speaker 1 (07:26):
You know what is our favorite thing?
When I look on life 360 and Igo, cooper's playing pickleball
so excited about the pickleballcourse, you know, I zoom in.
I'm like he's playingpickleball.

Speaker 3 (07:37):
Oh my gosh, it's such a good feeling.

Speaker 1 (07:40):
Yeah, jack, after being home for Thanksgiving took
some extra paddles back so hecan take that out to Lubbock and
play with his buddies.
But I really think that.
I think it's so funny how thesport went from.
Not funny, it's just.
It speaks to the sport itselfthat the median age when we
started first our playing, ourneighbors said you guys are too

(08:00):
young to play pickleball.
Yeah because they they right.
They've seen it in Florida andit was.
It was an old people now likewhat's the median age Like?
30?
, 39?
, oh?

Speaker 3 (08:10):
yeah, there's so many , there's so many groups.
I don't know if you guys havemet Taylor Mason.
She started a Dallas pickleballleague and she has got a group
of like 20, 30 year olds, like agiant group of kids who kids
are kids, but they're playingthis sport and they are.
I mean, if I had had that lifein my 20s and 30s, I mean it

(08:32):
would have been just amazing.
They're all just getting outthere, they're playing the sport
, they're socializing, they're,you know, having drinks
afterwards and parties at theend of their seasons and you
know it's just wow.
That would have been amazing inmy 20s and 30s.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
I think it's the beautiful thing of COVID.
Really the most beautiful thingthat came out of COVID was was
pickleball and the growth of it,and I can't wait to see what
these kids getting intopickleball.
It's going to change the game.
I mean our kids haven't pickedup a racket in paddle.
I mean paddle.
Sorry, jack hasn't picked up apaddle since we went to Tahoe a

(09:08):
couple months ago and he washome for Thanksgiving.
We went out with the boys andthis kid I mean he, he was there
were shots.
I couldn't even.
I mean, I mean I'm playingevery day.

Speaker 3 (09:23):
Yeah, they're just natural athletes.
I mean, I have zero athleticability.
So in fact, when I firststarted playing the sport and
competing a little bit, myparents and sisters were like,
um, you don't do sports.
And I'm like, I know you guys,but this sport is so fun, even I
can do it, and you know justjust my basic for it Inclusive

(09:44):
all shapes, sizes, ages, genders, I mean I.

Speaker 2 (09:47):
you can go out there and look at your opponent and
you better not think you knowthe outcome just by looking at
your opponent.

Speaker 3 (09:53):
How many times have you done that?
I mean a million.
Yeah, totally yes.

Speaker 2 (09:57):
When Karen and I we did a camp once and you know we
were like the young bucks downthere we're thinking we're
pretty cool At our age being theyoung bucks.
Gotta give you a clue.

Speaker 1 (10:06):
Old.
Everyone was.
This is, mind you.
This was in 2020.
2020.
2020.

Speaker 2 (10:11):
Okay, and these, these 70 year olds kicked our
ass.
I mean just, and I mean, didn'tbreak a sweat.
They're doing the little lobfrom the kitchen.
They do the crop, the severeangled danks.
You're like we know nothing.
We know nothing, that's whatit's.
I love it.
I mean, I love it I grew upplaying everything and it's
thought.
It's so hard to get really goodat this sport.

(10:34):
It drives me, so it's very hard.
It's easy to learn, then it'sreally hard to get good.

Speaker 3 (10:40):
Yeah, I mean you hear that everywhere.
And these, these athletes,these professional athletes now,
who are putting the time andthe energy you know before, you
know I knew some pros when theywere first starting and you know
it was their side hustle, itwas their side gig, and now
they're like this is what theydo.
They train, they have coaches,they have agents, they have all

(11:00):
the things that you know realathletes do.

Speaker 2 (11:04):
Oh my God.
And do you keep up with prostuff?
Don't you keep up with the proleagues?

Speaker 1 (11:09):
Yeah, that's what I was going to ask, Like it's in.

Speaker 2 (11:12):
So you're aware of all the drama going on right now
with PPA and MLP and the salarycuts and all this kind of stuff
.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yeah, but let me ask you this Do you do the people
that you play pickleball atfollow it?

Speaker 3 (11:24):
Um, some of them do and some of them don't.
You know which is.
It just depends which is kindof.
Another great aspect of thissport is the friend group.
You know that we all have is sobig that you know, within that
friend group you've got thepeople who are like all in and,
you know, super invested.
And I mean I'm friends withCourtney Johnson.
I'm totally throwing ashameless plug out there.
You know she's the director ofinitiating for MLP, yeah, yeah,

(11:48):
she's right in that whole worldand you know so.
We have her on the one extremewho is a hundred thousand
percent invested.
And then we have friends whoare also best friends with us.
But you know they're like, ohwait, who?
They don't know who the prosare, they don't understand the
tours and the.
You know the drama.

Speaker 2 (12:06):
They're like people get paid to do this, yeah, I
know.
Yeah, we were.
We came out because, like sixmonths ago I think six, maybe
eight months ago we knew nothingabout the program either.
We just loved it because of therecreation, and I think Karen
went to the Texas Open when itwas here out by you.

Speaker 3 (12:20):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (12:21):
Because you said you're in Rockwall right.
Yes so you got the great Oasisout there.
I wish it was.
Yeah, oh man.

Speaker 3 (12:27):
It's so great, come on out.
Also I have three emptybedrooms.
We are empty nesters and youjust come out, spend the night.
We'll have a few margaritas.
You don't even have to drivehome.
Oh, really great.

Speaker 2 (12:36):
You realize we're recording this right, so we've.
I know.

Speaker 3 (12:38):
Listen, I do.
I say this to everybody becauseit is so great to play out in
that, you know, in that space.

Speaker 2 (12:44):
Oh man 42 dedicated courts.

Speaker 3 (12:46):
It's just, it's fabulous, it's unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (12:47):
And the Oasis we're talking about for those of you
who aren't around here is thepremier pickleball location in
Dalsford Worth area, I'd say.
No doubts.
That's where they host themajor pro tournaments, and Karen
went to the Texas Open thereand it was like you could walk
right up to the pros and justsay hi to them and they were
given tickets away.
And this time we go to theTexas Open and it was like truck

(13:08):
pole versus Super Bowl.

Speaker 1 (13:09):
I mean, it was like a C Within six months, like it
wasn't even I don't think theywere both Texas Open.
What I mean is like one werethey couldn't get people out
there, so they were givingtickets away.
six months later and I told JohnI went out there because he
couldn't go.
So I went out there with afriend and I was like John,
there were no, there's nosecurity.

(13:31):
I'm like walking up to theplayers, I can get pictures.
You know, I'm not that kind ofperson, so I don't do it, but
we're doing it.

Speaker 3 (13:37):
Yeah, and I was.

Speaker 1 (13:38):
John, that's John's job and I was like there's this,
this the way this sport isgoing.
There's no way this is going tocontinue like this.
It's going to be different, andwithin six months we go to
another one.
And it was.
You had to check a ticket andyou pay for it, and you paid to
be in the to see the pros play,whereas we were.
They were giving away sixmonths.

Speaker 3 (13:57):
Yeah, trying to fill the seats.
Yeah, that's how fast it'smoved.
So we were part of at Oasis.
The Texas Open was kind of alocal tournament run by an
ambassador who she no longerlives here in Texas, but but
then PPA got involved severalyears ago.
So so I've seen it from thefirst iteration, when PPA was

(14:20):
doing it in conjunction with alocal ambassador, to now what
it's going to be and they havebooked Oasis for 2024 for the
Texas Open.
I think it's like end of May, Ithink, and just to see that
iteration to to now, it'sunbelievable unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (14:40):
It really is, I feel like.
Well, first of all we didn't.
I mean, we we started.
We caught on to like the PPAand started following that a
little bit, you know, becauseyou're, once you get to a
certain level, you start to hearthe names and then you want to
watch the videos.
That does help you get better,I think.
And so then we were like oh andwe, you know we recognize some

(15:03):
of the pros and stuff, but MLPwas kind of in the shadow that
we felt like.
And then in fact, when it kindof I don't remember what you did
, john, but but we were like allPPA all the way right.
We didn't, we had no ideareally about what MLP, because
it's just not as as publicized.
I guess You're thinking it'slike it's not a team sport.

Speaker 2 (15:22):
You know there's no team in this, but then how are?

Speaker 3 (15:24):
they going to make that work, yeah.

Speaker 1 (15:26):
Right.
But then our club did an MLPstyle tournament and it was the
funniest thing ever and nowwe've added it is so fun, and
now we've added MLP type formatsto our playing formats that we,
that you, can sign up for onSaturdays and Sundays.

Speaker 3 (15:45):
I love that.
I love that it can be sodiverse.
Yeah, the only problem with theformat is that for unathletic
folks such as the singles part,the dream breaker part, just
it's just it kills.

Speaker 2 (16:00):
it's just Karen Teller about your dream breaker.
Experience Teller, it'shorrible.

Speaker 1 (16:05):
It's the worst thing on the planet.
It was the scariest thing.
I I okay.
First of all, I was analternate.
I wasn't supposed to play inthe tournament right, so Friday.
I'm doing all the club stuff,setting things up and thinking,
okay, I got easy street, I don'thave to play.
I'm watching John out there onhis team and he's nervous as all
get out and you know his littlemighty team was fighting.

(16:25):
Then I wake up on Saturdaymorning to a call from our the
founder of the club, going guesswho's playing today.
And I'm like no, I'm not.
No, I'm not and I'm like oh mygosh and and I'm going I have to
go and play with the team thatI thought was going to win the
whole thing.

Speaker 3 (16:41):
Yeah, oh, no pressure , no pressure.

Speaker 1 (16:44):
None.
So I get on the team and we,they were like so encouraging.
They were like, oh my gosh,you're so good, this is great,
you know well.
We get into a dream bakersituation and, for whatever
reason, the captain puts methird instead of fourth and I'm
like why is he doing that?

Speaker 2 (17:05):
And and so they, you know it comes down to game point
and they don't close it out andguess who has to go in?

Speaker 1 (17:14):
me and I think we were.
It was like what, 20 to 16 orsomething like that.
All I had to do was get onepoint.
Yeah, my mouth went dry.
My hands were shaking, I servedthe ball out, lost a point.
Oh my God, it was so bad.
My hands were shaking so like Icouldn't even.
It was awful I didn't win, welost and we were eliminated

(17:37):
because of me.

Speaker 3 (17:38):
No, listen, that things happen and that's okay
that.
That reminds me of twodifferent things.
One, the first time I played atthe national tournament same
thing I'd never competed, likeyou know, local tournaments or
international my mouth dried up,I was like my heart's but I'm
like this happening, like I hadno idea what was happening.
And you know, after the firstcouple of points then we were

(18:00):
okay, but my partner and I bothwere just like, just like so, so
nervous.
But I kind of have a similar,similar MLP story.
We did it with a group offriends.
Our team was Fear the Mullet.

Speaker 1 (18:12):
We all had mullets because one of the guys our team
.

Speaker 3 (18:14):
I don't know if you know Cole, he's a mullet.

Speaker 1 (18:19):
Cole and a girl.

Speaker 3 (18:22):
And it came down to you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, he's
a great guy.
And so it came down toDreambreaker and I was so
uncomfortable I was likemuttering on the sideline, like
I'm uncomfortable, I don't wantto do this Like I don't know how
to do this.
And so I got in the first coupleof whatever the first round.
I think they probably put me infourth or I don't know.

(18:43):
When they put what they put mein.
I was not paying attention, Iwas so out of my head and I
didn't get any points that firsttime I was in.
Well, eventually it got down tome as the last point like this
this was it, this was the point.
I freaking got the point and,thank goodness, and it was
against my very good friendErica, and we just went crazy

(19:07):
and we're screaming and laughingand so I'll never let her
forget that, because that's notme.
And yet I just played inanother MLP with a group of
ladies a couple of weekends ago.
I think I got two singlespoints.
The whole day it was just andeverything was a dream breaker.
So it's not my game.
I don't like it.

Speaker 1 (19:25):
I'm glad yours ended like that.
I mean, I have lived, I haverelived that moment so many
times and beat myself up andbecause it was like that was the
moment and I but it's making mea better player Like I'm having
to fight through, I thought Itold John I said I had PTSD,
it's from it.

Speaker 2 (19:42):
Well, she's got the yips too.

Speaker 1 (19:44):
Well, I had the serving yips too, oh God.
You know why that's the worst,because I've never done TCD and
you know, do you do net and TCD?

Speaker 3 (19:53):
I only do TCD, no.

Speaker 1 (19:55):
I don't Okay.

Speaker 2 (19:55):
What does TCD stand for?
A hundred people.

Speaker 1 (19:58):
Tech says I don't know.

Speaker 3 (19:59):
Tennis competitors of Dallas there you go Tennis
competitors of Dallas and acouple of years ago they added
they did a pilot season ofpickleball league and actually
my.
I put together a team, weparticipated in the pilot season
and then I actually becamedirector for the first two years
.
Oh nice yeah.

Speaker 2 (20:18):
Yeah, another leg of Francine's pickleball story.

Speaker 3 (20:21):
I told you, john, I've done a lot of things.
So so you have played TCD, andwas that like your first, like
competitive type?
No, no, so I played net.

Speaker 1 (20:28):
I'd never had an experience with TCD until this
season.
Okay, I ended up on two T.
I was on four leagues, two net,two TCD.
So, but the balls are different.
We've always played withFranklin's and I never realized
that a ball could make adifference until all of a sudden
I'm playing with this durableand I have a bounce serve.

Speaker 3 (20:49):
And bounce is different.

Speaker 1 (20:50):
Yeah, and it can change shape, and I wasn't
prepared for it.
I had not thought about myserve in over a year.
I was like good thing, I don'tthink you have to think about my
serve.

Speaker 3 (21:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (21:00):
All of a sudden, I had to think about my serve and
I started to.

Speaker 3 (21:03):
Because it got into your head about that particular
ball type.
So I apologize because as thelead director, I picked a little
fast for you.

Speaker 1 (21:13):
Well, you know what?
Honestly, and now that I hearthe pros complaining about the
Franklin, I'm like, oh, thatmakes sense, yeah, and so I'm
getting it back.
I mean, I'm getting my serveback and my confidence back, but
boy, Well, and now the league.

Speaker 3 (21:26):
There's an option, you have an option.
I think it's actually.
There's a new rule coming outfor spring season where it can
be either the Franklinx or theDurif Asfori, so yeah, Well, the
bottom line is I can't let aball mess me up like that, and
that's the lesson.
So I mean there's all sorts ofresources, for if you have the
Ips I mean you just let yoursubconscious take over you can

(21:49):
go online and find books andresources to get over that.

Speaker 1 (21:53):
But it happens.
I haven't done that.

Speaker 2 (21:54):
I think you need to do primal scream therapy.

Speaker 1 (21:57):
No, this is what I do now.
No, this is what I do now.
I say separate from the outcome, separate or different.

Speaker 3 (22:03):
Oh, that's a good idea Separate from the outcome.
Well, and instead of a dropserve, do a volley serve.
Just work on your volley serve.

Speaker 2 (22:09):
Oh, it's a heart teller.

Speaker 3 (22:10):
Yeah, just do a volley serve you got this.

Speaker 1 (22:13):
Come on, I'm going to fight, you see the pain in her
face.

Speaker 2 (22:17):
I know, I know.
Just thinking about it.

Speaker 3 (22:19):
Your shoulders are stretching up Because it was so
it through my confidence so much.

Speaker 1 (22:25):
But that's I think it's good for in a sport and to
have those downs that it showsyou, you know, do you have grit
or not, like, do you walk awayat that point or do you fight
through?
And I'm fighting throughbecause I love this game.

Speaker 3 (22:41):
Well, and that's what this sport does for us, right?
I mean, we get put in our placeby 85 year old with, you know,
knee braces, and you know we'relike, oh wait, maybe I have work
to do, right.

Speaker 2 (22:52):
Yeah, yeah, and maybe I'll be playing when I'm 85.
Isn't that awesome.

Speaker 3 (22:56):
Well, of course, we are Like.

Speaker 1 (22:58):
I'm hoping that's not questionable.

Speaker 3 (23:00):
I played with people in their 90s, so you know I'm
yeah, that's awesome, yeah,awesome.

Speaker 2 (23:06):
Did you take them out ?
Did your body bag them?

Speaker 3 (23:09):
I mean, that was, that was six years ago.
That was the beginning of whenI was starting to really put
some time into it.
I'm pretty sure he put me in myplace.
I didn't know yeah.

Speaker 2 (23:21):
Well, the crown jewel of everything that's been going
on around here.
Of course, you know we rememberthe timing was great because we
did Oktoberfest, which was ahoot.

Speaker 3 (23:28):
But right after that.

Speaker 2 (23:29):
November was the nationals PPA national
championships and we had beenfortunate enough to have met you
earlier, like you mentioned, atthe chicken and pickle, which,
by the way, I've worked with alot of people on the east coast.
They think I'm joking everytime I say there's a place
called chicken and pickle.
It makes it sound like such abunch of hillbillies out there.

Speaker 3 (23:48):
They're going to know There'll be a chicken and
pickle right down the streetfrom any minute.
No, just wait.

Speaker 2 (23:54):
But you had told us that you were actually you were
managing the volunteer effortthat was going to be at the PPA
and, of course, being pickleballjunkies, we're like, yeah, we
want to do it, we want to do it.
Yeah, that had to be aHerculean effort on the best of
circumstances, but, consideringthe weather and everything that
they were dealing with, first ofall, I mean, let me back up.

(24:14):
How did you get to be pointperson for the volunteer effort
for the PPA nationals?
Because that was amazing.

Speaker 3 (24:19):
So well I had.
I had been familiar with withPPA just because I had known
them, since they were, you know,really just starting the the
tour, so I had become friendlywith some of them.
I'm also the regional directorfor USA Pickleball for the
mid-south region of of theorganization, so we are in

(24:40):
charge of all of the ambassadorsfor Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas
and Louisiana, so I was veryfamiliar with USA Pickleball
side of things and we had justrun our regional tournament back
last May and so I actually gotasked by both organizations to
be the volunteer coordinator forthe event and I wanted to say

(25:07):
no but I said yes, yeah, I saidyes and I am glad I did it.
It was last year was just Ikeep saying last year because
I'm ready for 2023 to be overbut this past year was just
tough, just all the things, andthat that event was was.
It was crazy.
I mean just the largestpickleball tournament and I had

(25:28):
been to nationals before andnational.
The national tournament isactually USA Pickleball
tournament, the governing bodyof our sport.
But PPA had a partnership withUSA Pickleball this year, which
is the first time they've doneit.
Plus, they moved it from out ofIndian Wells out in California
to Brookhaven and Dallas.
So you know it was the firsttime there was a joint venture

(25:52):
and the first time they wantedto have.
You know, the initial goal waslike 5,000 players in.
It ended up with about 3,500,which is still the largest
pickleball tournament ever.

Speaker 2 (26:02):
It was crazy.
I mean, that was the, theamount of people and I mean they
, it was all first class to.
We were like taking Teslas fromthe parking lot and stuff like
that.
It was amazing.

Speaker 3 (26:14):
Well, yeah, doesn't everybody take a Tesla for the
Everybody does, right?
I mean, they dropped you rightoff at your car.

Speaker 1 (26:20):
That was pretty cool.
I mean, there were some thingsthat could have been done better
, but that's interesting to know.
So you're saying that USAPickleball ran nationals solely
until the yes, they're theoriginator of the national
championship.

Speaker 3 (26:34):
Yes, so I don't understand.

Speaker 1 (26:36):
We know there's USA Pickleball and we know, MLP and
we know, we know PPA, we knowthe MLP PPA situation, but Kind
of so.
Ok, there's also.

Speaker 3 (26:46):
There's also another tour APP.
I don't know if you're familiarwith that one, yeah, yeah, so
there's a lot of differentorganizations, so I don't know,
I don't understand the differentAPP.

Speaker 2 (26:57):
I hate to say that if somebody's listening and going,
I'm on APP no no, no, no, no, Idon't.

Speaker 3 (27:00):
You know, the talent is incredible.
There are people who prefer theAPP because of the way it's run
, and by people I mean amateursand pros, right, and there are
people who are diehard.
You know, ppa fans USAPickleball is kind of their,
their sort of their.
The pickle balls for everybody.
And as the governing body ofthe sport, you know they want

(27:23):
everybody to be successful MLP,app, ppa, what about?
And some of the smaller toursto WPT.

Speaker 1 (27:30):
That's what I was going to ask about yeah, the APA
, there's tons of smaller ones.

Speaker 2 (27:37):
Is it still open?

Speaker 3 (27:38):
So that's so back to two Texas Opens ago, is that
right?
Yeah, two Texas Opens ago theylaunched Vibe.
During the tournament at Oasis,mark Cuban came in, we all
bought the really cool vibesweatshirts.
It was going to be awesome.
And then, and then all of asudden, oh, mlp was going to
partner with Vibe or PPA and andthen they were going to be able

(28:01):
to do that.
And then Vibe went away.
So, yeah, that Vibe is not, isnot around.
It's now, I guess, mlp, but Idon't the way the sport changes
every five seconds and until Isee it like a signed contract
and it's like put out there, Iyou know, you just can't know

(28:25):
really, till the check clears to, apparently because of these
players.

Speaker 2 (28:28):
It's.
It's crazy.
I mean, I've it's become.
I cannot believe how the dramagoing on in pickleball right now
for a sport that is Like soniche that not too many people
knew about now it's a pro sport.
You got these leagues that are.
You got competing billionaires.
You have this, this horriblething, where the players are now
being asked to take like a 40 Ithink 41% pay cut or something

(28:50):
like that yeah it's.
You know, you knew thosecontracts for were really Bad.
I mean, it was like I don'tknow, it's like me with my dad's
credit card when I was afreshman.

Speaker 3 (29:06):
I hope they didn't pre-spend all of that, you know,
I hope they were smart.

Speaker 2 (29:10):
Oh kidding, no kidding.

Speaker 3 (29:12):
You hope, but they're kids.
I mean they're.
You know their kids are aged,so you hope that they didn't.
You know, go buy the Tesla orwhatever to start right, I don't
know.

Speaker 1 (29:20):
I've been listening to podcasts and someone yeah, we
won't name names, but I thinkthat they're taking.
It seems like they're takingthey.
They had nationals.
I don't think everything wentexactly how they wanted it to go
.
Oh like with this whole andthat they're going wait a minute
, but I mean their privateequity back now, which John

(29:42):
lives in that world and that's awhole different animal.
It's almost like kind of likeyou create a big hype to get the
investment and then whoa, youknow.

Speaker 3 (29:55):
And then figure out the details later.
I got to the details and youlook at the hood.
To me doesn't seem like thebest way to do things.
But you know, what do I know?

Speaker 2 (30:09):
Yeah, I gotta say this too, because I don't want
to forget this little tidbitabout the volunteer effort when
we were listening to there'sanother podcast I don't know,
we're listening to otherpickleball podcasts now and it's
the one that Jilly B has andthey were doing winners and
losers of the of the nationals.
You know what were the winners,what were the loser?
And one of the winners wasthose cool, badass t-shirts that

(30:31):
you gave us all, because Istill wear mine.
I mean, how many times you geta shirt at a give?
That's a giveaway that youactually wear again.
Those things are awesome.
I love them.

Speaker 3 (30:40):
Yeah, and yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, there's a thing
that we had bathroom access.
I'll just say that well, don'ttell anybody that.
Well, so in all the planning Imean the I don't know was six
months of planning for thenational tournament.

(31:00):
You know we were told, oh, theshirts for volunteers, they're
gonna be.
I had requested like a brightColor.
I wanted to be able to look outover the venue and see where
everybody was Like, oh, we'regonna do light blue.
And you guys probably got thatemail from me that was like, oh,
here's the shirts, this is whatwe're gonna have for the shirts
, yeah.
So I get there and I'm andsomebody says, oh, all your
volunteer shirts are there.

(31:21):
And I'm like, okay, great, Iopen it up.
I'm like, oh, they're pink.
They were.
They were like they were likeHeathered red or something, was
the official.
But I was like, oh, these aregreat.
And everybody went crazy overthem and they were nice shirts,
they were free fly.
They were, you know, reallynice shirts.
They faded a little on the logo, but you know that's okay.
But I have to tell you that Isee those shirts now and I have

(31:43):
PTSD.

Speaker 2 (31:43):
I'm like how many people did you end up having to
get for?

Speaker 3 (31:50):
we had.
We had 560 volunteers sign up.

Speaker 2 (31:54):
Over the horse because they had ML.
Did you do the MLP part as well?

Speaker 3 (31:57):
No, that was a completely separate event.
Yeah, okay.
So from the beginning, when,when we got the, the sign up,
the pickleball desk, which iswhat we used to register
volunteers once that went live,people went crazy over it.
You know, they wanted the goodjobs, they wanted championship
court, they wanted VIP area,they wanted that.

(32:19):
But honestly, there were peoplethat were just signing up for
everything.
I had a guy email me and he saidI booked my hotel.
I use coming in from I don'tknow California or Arizona or
something.
I booked my hotel for theentire time.
I'm gonna sign up for all thejobs.
And this is like the firstcouple of days and like wow,
that's awesome.
And then it just, you know, itjust kept.
It just kept snowballing.
And, yeah, 560 volunteers andwe had some really neat

(32:43):
partnerships.
Smu Got involved, so we gotsome students from SMU to come
out and help.
And then the Dallas SportsCommission, which was a big
contributor, and I don't knowall the details, I just know
this is where we got a bunch ofour volunteers, but Dallas
Sports Commission pushed it outto a lot, of, a lot of their
folks and these are these arepeople who are just Just in the

(33:07):
area, not pickleball players,who just volunteer for sports,
sporting events, and I met thecoolest people that way that
we're needed and I mean they'regonna start playing pickleball
now.

Speaker 1 (33:17):
But yeah, there's so many people that we talked to.
I mean I'm, I talk aboutpickleball.
Wherever I go, all it wearspickleball stuff.
Yeah, it's like my, we call itmy uniform.
Yeah, and it will go out todinner.
I'll be like should I get outof my uniform, john?
It's like why.

Speaker 3 (33:33):
Yeah, you're right, I start now.
It's like who doesn't want towear leggings and a shirt every
day?

Speaker 1 (33:41):
Yeah, but we thought it allows.
I love talking to people.
Well, first of all, like when Ifirst started talking to people
two years ago, they go whatpickleball?
Now people go, oh yeah, I'veheard of that, or they started
to play, or I've played it onceor whatever you know, but two
years ago literally everyone Italked to didn't had never heard

(34:02):
of it.

Speaker 3 (34:03):
And then now it's like you know, people have heard
of it, or they've played, andor you know, or I'm encouraging
them to play and bugging themincessantly, which is what I did
too for the longest time, and Ijust I got just, you know, beat
down like a pickleball.
Oh, it's stupid.
Or oh, here we go pickleFrancine's.

(34:25):
Here we're just gonna talkabout pickleball, you know, or
whatever.
And so now these same friendswill send me a hot you know,
drew Brees is playing pickleballagain.
No, sure lock.
No, kidding, sure lock.
Oh, now it's legitimate.
So now I'm so crazy.

Speaker 1 (34:44):
You know?
Did you see the video from JohnMcEnroe About the noise like
this new owl?

Speaker 3 (34:53):
Yes, in fact, I just ordered the owl paddles.
We got an ambassador discountand I had a chance to play with
them.
They're is it cool.

Speaker 1 (35:02):
Okay, here's my problem.
I'm glad to hear that, but I'mnot that people are mad about
the noise, because this is thething.

Speaker 3 (35:11):
I'm mad because we have a.

Speaker 1 (35:14):
We're close to that.
There's people that live nextto the baseball fields.
Baseball is not exactly quietwhen you hit a home run in the
ball, and I'm Crazy like why arethey picking on pickleball?
I really think it's tennis hater, tennis players who hate
pickleball, and they better justget on board because and

(35:34):
they're mad about their courtsbeing taken.
But guess what?
You know, there's a, there'sright across.
Where are they're building ournew pickleball courts?
They have 18 Dedicated tenniscourts.
Do you know how many?
How many?
How?
The majority of the time theysit open.

Speaker 3 (35:48):
All the time, all the time but we're fighting to get
on pickleball courts.

Speaker 1 (35:53):
So here's the thing that I want to say to all the
people that are mad about thesound of pickleball.
One You're mad about peoplehaving fun to.
You're mad about peopleexercising.
Three you're mad about peoplecoming together and creating
community and, and you know,getting exercise and finding
friendships.
And you know it's just there's,there's no negatives to feel I

(36:14):
need to do a disclaimer here.

Speaker 2 (36:16):
The opinion is expressed by Karen.

Speaker 3 (36:21):
Like it.
So, okay, a couple of, a coupleof quick things.
The first one is, yes, I got toplay with the prototype for the
owl paddle and, yes, it playsamazing, like shockingly good,
like Surprisingly good, so wow.

Speaker 2 (36:37):
That could be the second.

Speaker 3 (36:38):
Thing.

Speaker 2 (36:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (36:40):
I mean it is for for, for areas where noise
mitigation is an issue, likewhen it needs to be taken care
of.
That's that's gonna be, youknow, that's I game changer, and
there's also going to be a ballthat they're hoping to helps.
You know, with the sound aswell, this owl paddle.
So there's a certain likewhatever the normal decibels,

(37:01):
I'm just say decibels I don'tknow if that's the right word so
decibels of a regular paddleand ball hitting is up here and
the owl is less than half ofthat.
Oh wow, so it's a huge, a hugesound difference and then and it
plays well, so is it weirdthough when you're hitting it

(37:21):
and you don't hear the sound, itdoesn't seem weird.

Speaker 2 (37:23):
No, no, no See when I hear pickleball, I'm like, it's
like music right.

Speaker 1 (37:28):
Christmas music.
I'm like, it's like where arethey playing?

Speaker 3 (37:33):
Let's go.

Speaker 1 (37:36):
We took the kids to Tahoe before they left us.
We became empty nesters and welooked online to find a place
where we could play pickleballand there was one like less than
a mile from where we werestaying.
We're like, yes, you know, sowe pull up and we park and I'm
like I don't hear it, I'm like,oh no, what if they don't have
pickleball?
And we're walking and then allof a sudden I go, I hear it.

Speaker 3 (38:04):
I went and helped at the National Convention for
Recreation and Parks Departmentsand you know it's giant.
What is it?
The K, bailey, hutchinson's andthen our Dallas, I mean it's
just this giant and I walk in.
I was like wow, this place isbig.
And I'm like I wonder whereit's going to be.
And I'm like, oh wait, I hearit.
And I just be like oh, that'sgreat.

(38:25):
And then your other point to youknow, people complaining about
sound and it seems like it'skind of a tennis thing is.
You know we've all been.
For those of us that played along time we've been the butt of
the jokes, we've been the, youknow, red Hooded Step Child.
We've been like at Oasis.
I had a friend who was a tennismember there.
She was usually going to talkto the director about maybe

(38:46):
doing some pickleball over there.
I'm like, yeah, that'd be great.
We have some outdoor places toplay and rock ball, which we
didn't have at the time.
So the kid we were like just outof college, young kid, who's
like, yeah, I just seen it as away to bring money and I'm like
we can get $5 drop in fee fromeverybody that comes to play.
So I go out there with my pieceof chalk, you know, or my blue
tape, and I we just I go to thevery far corner and hope we

(39:07):
wouldn't bother anybody.
The looks we'd get from thetennis players.
I mean it was just.
And then we got permission topaint them.
So I went out there with mylittle roller in my paint and a
group of tennis ladies werewalking by.
I mean I'm literally out therein the heat of the summer like
rolling it, and this lady, thesetennis leaders, are going what
are you doing?
And I'm like I'm paintingpickleball courts.

(39:29):
And another local tennis profrom a different club was coming
by and going what are you doing?
I'm like I'm paintingpickleball courts.
And he's like, oh yeah, that'sthat's, that's ridiculous.
I'm like, okay, bye, have agood day, have a good day.
And now we've got 42 dedicatedcourts.
We have some of the biggesttournaments.
I mean it's just it's funny,it's it it?
I think we're definitelybecoming more legitimate.

(39:51):
It's just funny to see thatprogression from one extreme to
the other.

Speaker 2 (39:55):
The minute you said in a group of tennis ladies, I
was like, oh, this is going tobe bad.

Speaker 1 (40:01):
So I didn't come from the tennis world so I'm like,
but I'm getting exposed to itbecause they're all coming over,
you know pickleball.
And I've been so lucky I landedwith a great group of ladies
that I mean that that areamazing.
This is my first season doingwomen's pickleball leagues.

Speaker 3 (40:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (40:21):
And I was hesitant at first, just because women in
general, like they, tend to eateach other and like yeah.

Speaker 3 (40:26):
I'm scared of them, I know, I know.

Speaker 1 (40:28):
So I was a little bit hesitant, but then I was like I
went in and dip my toe in andthen I slowly, you know, and
then today we had our Christmaspickleball and I'm like love
these ladies, right.

Speaker 3 (40:40):
So I was really lucky , but boy howdy.

Speaker 1 (40:42):
I'll tell you what.
You go out there and you play.

Speaker 3 (40:44):
There were some few that yeah, there were a few that
you meet at the beginning and Iwas like I don't like that.
They're not nice, they're not,don't they understand our sport?
And it's interesting becausethe ones who stuck with it,
they've they've assimilated toour culture, they get it now.
They're still competitive,still want to play, but have
loosened up the you knowwhatever that weird tennis vibe

(41:05):
is.

Speaker 2 (41:05):
So yeah, I mean, if we're the two courts that we
have to fight for, there's twopublic courts right across the
street and they've got themmarked off for tennis and
pickleball, so you can have fourpickleball courts and we'll get
up there sometimes and there'llbe two people playing singles.
They're not even playing,they're just, you know, just
hitting the ball back and forthand they're staying out there,
while there's 18 dedicatedcourts down the hill that they

(41:28):
could play on.
They're doing it just to bespiteful and we've got like 12
people waiting to get on there.

Speaker 3 (41:33):
So be nice to this people.
We're coming to get your courts.
We're taking over all thecourts.

Speaker 1 (41:39):
See, this is where they hate us.

Speaker 3 (41:42):
Well, you know, and there's room for everybody.
There really is.
I mean you guys have probablyseen all of the new facility.
I mean you know it's, yeah,it's all like you've got that
new facility coming, some of theindoor facilities that are
happening Dallas indoorpickleball, pickleball kingdom
we're enclosing eight courts atOasis.
You know, yeah, so there's,there's just it's it's going

(42:04):
crazy and there is space foreverybody, both tennis and
pickleball people.
So, and thankfully, the growthnow of the courts pickleball
courts is keeping up with thedemand.

Speaker 1 (42:15):
Well, it's not here yet, Like we really don't.
I mean it's it's Move to.

Speaker 3 (42:20):
Rockwall.
Move to Rockwall.

Speaker 1 (42:21):
I know You're empty nesters.

Speaker 3 (42:22):
Don't worry about kids in school.

Speaker 2 (42:24):
Serious.

Speaker 3 (42:24):
Right, yeah, we have a we have a Costco and we have a
Target.
And we're getting no, but we'resupposed to be getting an H-E-B
and a Ikea.

Speaker 1 (42:36):
Oh, okay.

Speaker 2 (42:37):
Okay, the H-E-B is legit, the central market I know
.

Speaker 1 (42:40):
But oh why what's H-E-B?

Speaker 3 (42:43):
I've never been, I've heard, it's fabulous.

Speaker 1 (42:45):
It's very it's very bougie, it's very bougie.
Yeah, it's got the vegetablesand that kind of stuff.

Speaker 3 (42:51):
I think we were supposed to get a sprouts too.
But is sprouts good enough or Idon't?

Speaker 2 (42:55):
know We've got sprouts here too, but I don't
know that I've ever been in it.
Have you hun?

Speaker 1 (42:59):
No, it's, it's kind of I don't know, but you know
you just it's like I can't go to.
I go to Tom Thumb If I go toKroger.
It just doesn't feel the same,Like I'm just a Tom.
Thumb girl.
I'm a home depot girl.
I'm not a Lowe's girl.

Speaker 3 (43:15):
You just get used to what you are.

Speaker 1 (43:16):
I'm a target, not a Walmart.
Yeah.
I don't know, you just haveyour things you know yeah.
Yeah.
So let me ask you this, Do youso?
John and I almost got pickled,divorced and there's very few
couples that play together andwe fought through and and Good
for you.

Speaker 2 (43:32):
I'm glad we did.
I'm glad we did, but it wasrough.

Speaker 1 (43:35):
It was not going to be good for you and seeing, and
now, what about you?

Speaker 3 (43:40):
So, um, my husband is an ex professional athlete.
He played baseball and so hewas like pickleball is stupid,
it's just a ball sport.
I can do it, I can do whatever.
And he did play, he would play.
He doesn't have a lot of time.
Um, like John, he's in thatprivate equity world.
You know he's, he's it works alot of different um
organizations around the countryand so he's not home very often

(44:02):
.
So when he's home he wants toplay golf and that's fine, he
goes and plays golf, I go playpickleball.
We have a competed in one, twotournaments together and we will
never do that again.
It's his.
I say a lot of words and hesays practically zero words and
his level of competition andlike fierceness is like off the

(44:24):
charts.
But he all, it's all insidehere.
My level is like at a healthydid I say that at a healthy
level of competition and I sayall the words.
So it just doesn't work, itjust it's not, it didn't work
for us and it and it never willand that.
But that's okay.
I have a mixed partner.
He and I've been playingtogether for a couple years

(44:45):
where we're gonna start playingfour, five next year, racking.
Wow, it's gonna be tough for along time but it's fine and you
know, just for my husband and Iit just it didn't work.
So I'm glad you guys worked out.
I know a lot of couples whoplay together and they're so
nice to each other and they'reso like we're not.
Encouraging, and you know, andsome people take that personally

(45:08):
and you know, and I don't takeit personally, it's just I know
it's not, it's it's more not funfor Earl than it is for me.
So we just, you know, go ourseparate ways well we.

Speaker 1 (45:18):
so what happened?
We played in it, and it was atthe Texas Open, where I didn't
play good Mm-hmm and because shewas totally expecting me to
shit the bed.
Yeah, and we go out there and Ishot the bed, oh, and I play
more than him because he, youknow, he's got his job and right
and I'm more and I wanted tocompete like at a high level and

(45:40):
we were the reason we didn'tget Pickled of horses because we
said, okay, we'll give up tothis tournament date, right
because I said I said if youdon't want to compete, I want to
, and so if you don't want to,that's fine, but I have to go
find another partner.
He's like I don't like that.
And I'm like, well, then youneed to step up.
So then he, yeah, said, okay,I'll step up, right, because I
want to play and I want to playwith you.

(46:00):
I'm like, fine, then we go outthere, we play the first
tournament.
We got a bronze.
We were like, okay, we could dothis.
Then we got out there and youknow, I shit the bed.
And then I was like gosh, Iwouldn't want to lose with
anyone else.
And then, but then you know Iknow, and it's so sweet.

Speaker 3 (46:14):
I love you honey but we did play this last.

Speaker 2 (46:16):
Sunday and I wanted to kill him.
Did you hear me.

Speaker 1 (46:20):
I said we played this last Sunday and I wanted to
kill him because I was like, oh,you can't like, you know.
So it's gonna be a up-and-downthing, I think.
And yeah, you know, but I gotto think long term About
everything my yeah, when you'reold.

Speaker 3 (46:36):
Yeah, you got it, you got a stick it.
You got a stick in there forthe, for the 401k and, yeah,
security and and all that.
And I, my question is, who getsthe cloud in a divorce like
that's always our discussion,like we can't get divorced.
Who gets the cloud?
Like how do we separate thecloud and all the stuff, our

(46:58):
digital stuff?

Speaker 2 (47:01):
We think about that.
You know what that's too muchtrouble, that's enough to stay.

Speaker 3 (47:05):
I know that's why we just yeah, we're just like now,
we're just sick of it out.
It's just easier.

Speaker 2 (47:09):
Karen mentioned the chatter Christmas party today.
And, honey, what did you haveat your Christmas party?

Speaker 1 (47:15):
this one of our girls in our, in our pickleball,
she's the hostess with most usliterally went.
I mean, she had chefs come inand cook us crepes and I'm not
talking like crepes, like withberries in them.
They were like you could getyour cheese and your meat and
you're never had anything likethis, with this like very.
Drizzle sauce and whatever.

(47:36):
And then she had a.
She had a massage therapist.
Come now.
So John, she invited John over.
There are neighbors right.
So they invited.
She invited John over.
John goes I'm sorry I have towork, says someday we can have
money for crepe.

Speaker 2 (47:52):
Get into that sweet, sweet crepe money.

Speaker 3 (47:54):
Yeah, yeah that we need crepe level of money.
Sounds like she might have comefrom the tennis world, or no?
No?

Speaker 1 (48:06):
I was gonna say it myself.
It's good.
I was gonna say it sounds likeshe came from the tennis world,
but ironically she didn't know.
It's funny is that we they werewho we started playing
pickleball with.
We started playing pickleballin the street.
Yeah because so it was duringCOVID, the first time we played.
We played in a parking lotbecause they took down the nets
at the tennis courts, I know soyeah and then we started playing

(48:29):
with them.
We chalked it off in the streetand put up net up, and when cars
would come, we roll the net offand put the net back.
We play with kids.
We play for hours.
Yeah and I think that's kind ofwhat John still has in his head
like as the funnest thing thatever has been in pickleball, and
and, and it's probably me,because I just want to compete

(48:50):
like I've never been good at asport before, like I am this.
Yeah like this is.
This is a thing, this is what Iwant to do all the way till I
die, like I want to die on apickleball court.

Speaker 3 (49:00):
I feel like we're twins.
I think we're sisters fromanother mister.
I feel like this is the samesame same I.
I Absolutely the understandwhat you're saying.
Yeah, yeah, it's.
It's the best sport ever.

Speaker 1 (49:12):
I think so and I I'm really encouraged to see you
know how it's grown it, how theyouth are getting involved and
and Hopefully this is, you know,the end of the the sitting the
look down generation and sittingthere gaming for hours and
hours and they're out theredoing something that keeps them
outside and socializing and yeah, I think it probably it
probably kept us sane duringCovid, because it was like, what

(49:35):
are you gonna do?

Speaker 2 (49:35):
and I had, just by a lark, had ordered a Set probably
two months before the worldshut down, because I saw some
people playing it.
I had no idea.
I was like what is that?
It looked kind of cool becausethey were having a firefight.
I was like what is that?
Yeah, the guy goes Well, that'spickleball.
I was like that is pickleball.

Speaker 3 (49:54):
Right and.

Speaker 2 (49:55):
Karen, of course, thought oh, here's John again,
mr Impulse by put it in thecorner of the garage where it
sat for two months until theworld shut down.
I'm like, come on, we're gonna,we're gonna go set this thing
up in the parking lot, and itwas.
We still have a picture thatfirst day we played.
It's like March something, 2020, and there we became the
pandemic picklers, and that was.
That was the start of love it.

Speaker 3 (50:17):
Yeah, it's, and that's the origin story for so
many people now playing thesport.
It's, it's, it's like you said,it's the best thing that came
out of that.

Speaker 2 (50:25):
It wild how this sport, and of all sports, just.

Speaker 3 (50:30):
Here's the thing I think.
In my opinion, it was alwaysgoing this way.
It was gonna get thereeventually.

Speaker 2 (50:36):
Mm-hmm.

Speaker 3 (50:37):
I Just think COVID boosted it that much you know
very quickly.
And and then all these symptomsof that quick growth, or
showing the noise, the, you know, in fighting with the other
athletes, the, the in fightingwith the leagues, or you know,
whatever that was happeningthere, you know, I think it's
just a symptom of that very,very, very fast, explosive

(50:57):
growth.

Speaker 2 (50:58):
That's so true.
I mean it is.
It's like you know you'reseeing growing paint, right.
And we're doing it in a hurry,probably a lot quicker than they
had planned.
I mean, the number one playerin the world, 16 years old.
So I mean the game is gonna isgonna change and I don't know.
Being out there at the PPA whenwe were volunteers and actually

(51:19):
getting to see the pros, wewere lucky enough to get working
the yeah, what were we callingthe pro?
club Pro lounge yeah which wascool, of course.
One day I got, because I'mpretty massive, I'm pretty huge
guy.

Speaker 3 (51:31):
You're pretty.
No, that's why we put you there.
We put you down at the bottomof the stairs.

Speaker 2 (51:36):
Yeah, we put you down there at the bottom of the
staircase and I found out whatcountry club members hate more
than anything being told theycan't come in their own country
club.

Speaker 3 (51:45):
It's funny because I had asked my husband.
I'm like what in Brookhavenmembers again, I think about
this tournament taking overtheir entire facility, and my
husband, who's Huge in the golf,is like you golf tournaments do
it all the time.

Speaker 2 (51:57):
It's just part of you know, part of the process.
It totally is, and theyRemember going to golf
tournaments all the time wherepeople like that, but you're
always gonna have the people go.
Well, what am I paying my duesfor?

Speaker 3 (52:06):
I think yeah, don't ask you like, dude, I'm a
volunteer, I don't even livehere, what is happening?
But also I need to shout out toyou guys Thank you so much for
helping me get a big handful ofvolunteers.
You guys were so sweet to toput that out there and it was
fun to meet and some of thefolks you guys brought over and
I Appreciate it.
I appreciate you guys steppingup and, you know, having fun

(52:27):
with us for a couple of days.

Speaker 1 (52:29):
Anything that we could do to help.
And and that's the beauty again, too, of a community like this
I mean our club.
We just opened up membership.
Remember I told you we had over1300 members.
We just opened up the other day, we were only open for four
days and we jumped over 1500people.
So, and but that it was allthat community, so the South
Lake powder club, this communityof people.

(52:51):
You know, when I put it outthere, you know I was getting
Calls and and checks and yeahhow can I help out?
and they really all enjoyed itso much.
I mean they I got so manythings afterwards.
Yeah they just wanted to beinvolved and it for many of them
, I think it was their firstexposure to PPA and I think that

(53:12):
the PPA should recognize thevalue of clubs like ours,
because that that these, I willtell you, the majority of people
that we play with Don't followPPA, they don't follow MLP, they
don't even know what they are,just like we were a year ago or
six months ago, and it's intheir best interest to to, I

(53:33):
think, to embrace thesecommunities that have come,
because to me, look, pickleballis a, it's a.

Speaker 2 (53:41):
Work activity.

Speaker 3 (53:44):
It's like a she's gonna dump you.
John, you better be somewhere.

Speaker 1 (53:47):
Yeah, it's like it springs from a local.
Yeah local thing, right, it isit very much so.

Speaker 3 (53:54):
And then it also kind of expands in different weird
ways that you never expected toright right?

Speaker 1 (54:01):
Oh, and I was gonna make one more comment.
Do you think that the owlpaddle?
How much decibels would therebe between the owl paddle and in
a lee waters paddle?

Speaker 3 (54:09):
Oh God, I don't even know.
She is just a phenom.

Speaker 1 (54:13):
I don't know.
Have you heard the drama aroundher paddle?

Speaker 3 (54:17):
Oh, I Try not to get too much and listen.
I'm not a podcast listener, Ireally do.
I love to read stuff.
I don't really want to listento stuff like I.
You know, even on social mediaI'll see.
Oh, here's a link to blah blahlike nope, I want to see the
news article, I don't read it.
So I don't listen to a wholelot of podcast, unless I'm on a
long Car trip.

Speaker 1 (54:38):
So I don't.

Speaker 3 (54:42):
I'm gonna like is this gonna be a replay?
It's gonna be like cast air,cast up to all the TVs and it's
gonna just be playing all thetime fantastic.

Speaker 1 (54:51):
What's your paddle that you play with regularly?

Speaker 3 (54:54):
I've been playing with the cellkirk for a really
long time actually since.
Shout out to Tyson McGuffin Idid a clinic with him and yeah,
and we know yeah, and I justbecame a cellkirk girl.
But yeah, I played with thepower air I Um S2.
Okay, okay, so I have, I haveping pong grip and then so I

(55:16):
that short handle is, is youknow what I like?
And I need all the help I canget on power, because I don't
have it.

Speaker 1 (55:23):
So I didn't know that was a ping pong grip.

Speaker 2 (55:26):
Yeah, with a finger that's helped.

Speaker 1 (55:28):
That's what.

Speaker 2 (55:28):
I do yeah.

Speaker 3 (55:29):
You have a ping pong.
See, we're all twins, we arethe same person.

Speaker 1 (55:33):
We need to move closer.

Speaker 3 (55:36):
Yeah, I suggest here.

Speaker 1 (55:38):
Yeah, so it sounds much better than here.
I'll tell you that.

Speaker 2 (55:41):
Hey, Francine, you want to hear my quick little
pickleball story because I'm alefty, I'm a natural lefty.

Speaker 3 (55:47):
Oh, wow, okay.

Speaker 2 (55:48):
Playing at the chicken and pickle one day.
Shot reached real quick tore mybicep.

Speaker 3 (55:54):
The whole thing rolled up Like oh shit, so I
learned to play right handed.

Speaker 2 (55:58):
So I started to become a righty and actually got
pretty good and then tore thatone too.

Speaker 3 (56:04):
Well, you're so big and buff those, just pop in,
they're just popping everywhere,yeah.

Speaker 1 (56:10):
They're big to stay together.

Speaker 3 (56:12):
So now are you back to a lefty?

Speaker 2 (56:15):
I went back to the right, which is weird, but I can
hit it I can hit it harder withmy left, but I'm more
consistent with the right and,as we all know, in pickleball
the unforced errors are thekiller.
You got to be consistent.
So Karen prefers that I playwith the right, but I will
switch to left.
I still serve with my left hand.
Every now and then I'll switchto left just to hit a drive and

(56:36):
people will kind of they do adouble take.
But from what I hear, that'sgoing to be the future is
probably ambidextrous.
Players are going to be outthere just doing all this, but
why not?

Speaker 3 (56:45):
I mean it's, it's just Did you play other sports
or do other things like rightleft, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (56:52):
Bad at left handed, right left handed, eat left
handed but throw right handed.
I'm just going to mix it up.

Speaker 3 (56:57):
Yeah, our son's kind of the same way.
He some sports he does as alefty, some as a righty, and he
writes with a lefty.
Yeah, it's very interesting.

Speaker 2 (57:05):
It is we're very interesting people.
I have two more things to say.

Speaker 1 (57:08):
So one I realized that I'm a great defensive
player, I'll keep the ball inplay, and so John has to put it
away, like that's.
That's kind of like where wehave to get.
So he's got to learn morepoaching and more how to like
take that center, yeah.
But the other thing I wanted tosay, and so I don't know,
that's what we need, that's likeour next layer that we need to

(57:29):
work on.
But and that's what I thinkabout pickleball is like every
time, like you have to layer theskills on.
You can't take it all on atonce, right?
So just concentrate on one thingand then you know.
And so our learning curvebecause we didn't come from
tennis is going to be a lotlonger, but I think we're
learning pickleball the correctway, so we don't have to unlearn

(57:51):
anything, like some of theladies that come from tennis
have to unlearn things that theylearned in tennis.
And then the second thing I'mgoing to say about pickleball
and I want your thoughts on thisis like how awesome of a sport
is this that it highlights women?
I mean, think about it.
The women's doubles are almostmore fun to watch.
What do you mean?

Speaker 3 (58:09):
almost.
I prefer watching women'sdoubles.
They pull the trigger faster.
Their, their, their firefights,their hand battles are just so
much more fun to watch.
Yeah, to me like okay, keepcross-court dinking guys, let's
go.

Speaker 1 (58:23):
You know like come on let's get so.

Speaker 3 (58:25):
Yeah, I agree that, yeah, and and they're, yeah,
it's just awesome.

Speaker 1 (58:30):
Yeah, and like you don't have soccer, do they have
cross gender?
You know soccer, you know no,do they have it in?
No, yeah, do they have it inthe NFL?
No, Do they have it like this?
Is that's the beautiful thing?

Speaker 3 (58:43):
Another thing about pickleball.

Speaker 1 (58:44):
I love pickleball.

Speaker 3 (58:46):
Yeah, man, I love pickleball.
Man, I love pickleball.

Speaker 2 (58:49):
She says this all like we'll be somewhere and
she'll go.
You know what I love aboutpickleball?
I'm like what I don't know.

Speaker 3 (58:58):
Your kids should start a little bit what mom
loves about pickleball and like,keep a running list of
everything what's not to love.
I mean, let's think about thisfor a second.
Is there anything about thissport that we don't like?
Oh, I know what mine is.
Okay, go ahead, you guys.
First One thing that you don'tlike about this sport.

Speaker 2 (59:17):
One thing that I don't like about the sport Wow.

Speaker 3 (59:21):
Okay, I'm going to tell mine Mine's nothing Is the
rating system.

Speaker 1 (59:27):
It's just messed up, mass up.

Speaker 2 (59:29):
Huge.
I would say sandbagging is whatI would say UTPR is major
messed up.

Speaker 3 (59:36):
Dupre, I think, is a little bit more accurate.
But we've also got the worldpickleball ratings and we have
the UTR now I think I meanthere's just all these different
things and you know, none ofthem are great, but where you
see that the most is a nationaltournament or a sanctioned

(59:56):
tournament, because forsanctioned tournaments you have
to play your UTPR, or sanctionedby USA pickleball and you know,
if that's the case I can playwomen's 3-0.
And I'm not going to do that,Like I'm just not going to do
that.

Speaker 2 (01:00:08):
But people who I've had to play against some 5-0
players, and it was hard I heardsomething this is yesterday too
, and this is why I do listen topodcasts because of my commute
but they were talking about, inthis recent tournament, the
winners of 3-5 golds.
Whatever this latest tournamentwas, san Clemente, I think for

(01:00:31):
the not the pros, but theamateur level the winners of the
3-5 brackets had duper ratingsof 5.2.
How does that?
How does that?
Even I mean it's ridiculous.
Why would you want to do that?
Why I don't get it sosandbagging definitely for me.

Speaker 3 (01:00:45):
Well, yeah, I mean, it's a problem.
It's just a problem and youknow, you can just play on
sanctioned tournaments and thenthat problem kind of goes away.
Or there's people also who knowhow to manage their ratings
Well, like I don't know who hastime for that Really.

Speaker 2 (01:01:05):
I don't have time to manage that.
I'm not going to do that.

Speaker 3 (01:01:07):
I want to play very comfortable at 4-0, won lots of
medals at 4-0.
Not sure I'd be bragging, butno, I've won enough medals at
4-0 that I'm comfortable there.
Now I have to push outside ofmy comfort zone.
I'm going to try to play 4-5and get killed for probably the
first two years of it.
But oh, maybe I can get to the55 plus age bracket by 30.

Speaker 2 (01:01:29):
There you go.

Speaker 3 (01:01:31):
Yeah, but it's just that, that's my one.
That's my one.
You know thing I don't like.

Speaker 2 (01:01:36):
Your husband is a golfer, he's probably real
familiar with that too, becauseof the handicap system and golf
with amateurs, some people, theylove to pad that handicap and
it's just, it's no good Justplay your game, play your sport.

Speaker 1 (01:01:49):
One last question Favorite shot?

Speaker 2 (01:01:52):
Your favorite shot.

Speaker 3 (01:01:54):
Favorite shot.
I don't want to give away mysecret, just kidding, I didn't
say it's just a best.
Okay, I love a good inside outfrom the right hand side.

Speaker 2 (01:02:07):
I am trying to learn how to do that.
What is?
That so magic Just swinginglike this that the angle goes to
the right the other way, swingof my right.
It looks like I'm hitting theleft.
It comes off the left.

Speaker 3 (01:02:17):
So sometimes.
So I'm using so and I I get ita lot, especially when I'm
playing mixed doubles becauseyou know they're kind of coming
at me a lot but and I'm alwayson the right hand side, my
partner and I stack, so we fullstack, and so I'm on the right
hand side and I'll get a balljust perfect height where it
looks like I'm going to crosscourt.
Really, I just do an inside outand it goes out to the sideline

(01:02:40):
and usually you know theopponent is tracking to their
right and real, and then my ballgoes to their left.
So it's my favorite Is thatlike down the line.
Yeah, it goes down the line,Okay got it.

Speaker 2 (01:02:53):
I mean, when you do it right, it's a wicked shot.
It really is, it's such a goodshot.

Speaker 3 (01:02:58):
Right, well, you know people are.
You know people are.
You know the fast reactiontimes, that it doesn't always
work.
You know I used to just hit itand be like, oh, that's an
instant winner.
But now people are reacting toit a little better.
So, yeah, it's my favorite.

Speaker 2 (01:03:14):
Well, and I have one last thing to say, and we'll and
we'll put a bow on it, butbecause our volunteers don't
even know this shit, but we havea special surprise for all the
volunteers that helped us atOctoberfest, and a lot of the
same people that helped us withyour tournament as well, and
we're going to have a specialkind of event for them that we
haven't announced yet, but wewant to invite you to come too,
because I think it'd be a blastto get you there.

(01:03:35):
And guess what the theme willbe?
It'll be pickleball.

Speaker 3 (01:03:38):
Really, are we going to play?
Can we play a?

Speaker 2 (01:03:41):
little.
We may be involved.
Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 3 (01:03:43):
Are there crepes and massage therapists there we?

Speaker 2 (01:03:47):
don't have crepes on it just yet.

Speaker 3 (01:03:49):
No crepe money yet.

Speaker 2 (01:03:51):
So we want to.
We must have you there, becauseI think it'd be a blast, and
thank you.
That was a great experience forus.
I mean, it was two days and itwas a long days, but we
congratulations.

Speaker 3 (01:04:00):
I heard a lot of great things about that.
I couldn't get out there, but Ihad to hear a lot of great
things and I kind of followalong on social media, you guys,
you know, I mean, you know whatit takes to put on events and
that's.
Another great thing aboutvolunteers is they see what
actually goes on behind thescenes and then they're not just
the I can't, you know, see thisor I can't, my courts, my

(01:04:22):
courts in too much Wanda orwhatever.
Like you have no idea all ofthe details that go into
something like that.

Speaker 1 (01:04:28):
So, oh, yeah, One of our favorite events was the
Special Olympians and that thatproved, you know, that
pickleball is for all.
And you know that these twowarriors that are, you know,
special needs can get out thereand play and you should have
seen the crowd like watchingthem and cheering them on and I
just, I loved it.

(01:04:48):
We heard it was the talk of theOctober fest, so so cool, so
excited.

Speaker 3 (01:04:54):
Dang, I wish that you know what I love about
pickleball is to get to do coolevents like these and yeah, I
know that's my 2023 was too busy, so I had to.
I couldn't do stuff like whatyou guys did, and so 2024 is
going to be a much better yearfor me.
I'm going to say yes to all thefun things and.
I love to come out and helpnext, next year.

Speaker 2 (01:05:14):
You know, tell me what you need, and yeah, oh,
we'll dip on that, though,because we already we talked to
the city.
They loved it.
We're going to be doing itagain, and less.

Speaker 3 (01:05:23):
Oh, good yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:05:24):
It'll be fun, and plus with your experience, I'm
sure you'll have a hundredthings.
You could tell us that we coulddo better, but I'm just so, I'm
so thankful that you hopped onwith us.
This was chock full pickleballgoodies.

Speaker 3 (01:05:35):
Another reason I love pickleball.

Speaker 1 (01:05:36):
Another reason I love pickleball the people are the
best the people I meet.

Speaker 3 (01:05:40):
It's the one thing.
The rating system is the worstthing.
The people are the best thing.

Speaker 1 (01:05:46):
The best thing?
Yeah, look at us, we wouldnever.
You live in Rockwall.

Speaker 3 (01:05:50):
When would our lives?

Speaker 1 (01:05:51):
ever have crossed paths?
Never and wasn't for pickleball.
Prison, yeah, prison, yeah,after I murdered you, maybe yeah
.

Speaker 3 (01:05:59):
Well, you guys would have a pickleball divorce and
then a pickleball murder.
You'd be on a D-line episode.
They started out playingpickleball.
They started out.

Speaker 1 (01:06:07):
It was just a friendly game.

Speaker 2 (01:06:09):
Yeah, keith Morrison could narrate it.

Speaker 1 (01:06:12):
Who knew such a fun sport would turn so dark?

Speaker 3 (01:06:16):
Keith Morrison play pickleball.
We need to find that outbecause that would be fun.

Speaker 1 (01:06:19):
He needs to.
Yeah, the sultry tones Bringsome light in him.

Speaker 2 (01:06:24):
So I do want to let everybody know.
In the show notes I'll haveinformation about pickleball
team works.
I'll have any information thatyou want to share with us for
people who might want to learnmore.
Oh, and we'll make sure thatthat's all highlighted in the
show notes.

Speaker 1 (01:06:39):
Thank, you for that.
Honey, do you have something tosay?
Yeah, I was going to say did weeven let everyone know what
team works?
Was I think we talked about it,but yeah, we talked about it.

Speaker 3 (01:06:48):
Yeah, we talked about it, yeah.
So our pickleball team works.
Yeah, so pickleball team works.
My business partner, melissa,but Joe's and I, we offer team
building events to companiesthrough pickleball so we can, as
an example, we might, do athree hour event with a group of
employees, some who may knownothing about the sport, others

(01:07:09):
who maybe are really goodplayers of the sport, and we
design and curate an event forthem that you know builds on
their, their strengths asplayers or their weaknesses,
because they don't know how toplay, and then we do some sort
of team building activities orevents or competition, you know
which, whatever the client wantsus to do.

(01:07:29):
So it's been, it's been fun.
My, my partner, melissa, is.
She is so phenomenally creativeand a really good pickleball
player.
To my specialty is beginners.
I have been teaching beginnersto play pickleball for years and
years and years, and that'swhere my love is.
So I work with a lot ofbeginners.
She works with the, the newerplayers, and then between the

(01:07:50):
two of us, we we come up with areally fun event.

Speaker 1 (01:07:53):
It is going to change employee engagement.
I love what you're doing.
That is the no better way toimprove employee engagement than
incorporating pickleball.

Speaker 3 (01:08:02):
Yeah, you can just do so much.
Another reason to lovepickleball, and one other thing
that I forgot to mention becauseI do this with Melissa as well
is we we actually have a juniorteam, we have a paddles up
pickleball club, and so we getkids to come out to practice
once a week and we fundraise, weraise money and we pay for

(01:08:23):
their entry fees to tournamentsand clinics and events and
things like that.
So that's, you know, that'skind of where.
Where my heart is, too, is withis with the kids and the
beginners I love.
Those are my, those are my twogroups that I love.

Speaker 1 (01:08:37):
Well, I can talk to you offline about that, because
we're going to be doing somestuff, for I'm totally helpful.

Speaker 3 (01:08:43):
Yeah, I'm happy to help Pickleball.
That's what I love aboutpickleball.
I told you there were a lot ofhats.

Speaker 2 (01:08:52):
You sound like my wife.
I'm like good Lord, how do you,where do you find time?
I mean it's, it's unbelievable.
That's great though.
I mean it takes that if youhave the passion for it, I mean
it's fantastic.
So you definitely do, and thankyou for broadening our our
pickleball experience.
We've gotten to meet people anddo things directly from our
relationship with you, so thankyou for letting us be involved.

Speaker 3 (01:09:13):
Thank you guys for doing this.
This has been really fun.
I can let's do this every day.
I can talk about pickleballevery day Same.

Speaker 1 (01:09:20):
That's why we started the that's why we changed the
podcast, because everythingeventually ended up here.

Speaker 2 (01:09:26):
We, that's.
I've been in human resourcesfor 25 years.
I had a blog, a podcast calledHR hardball and Karen started
co-hosting, but then everyconversation would turn into
pickleball and finally we'relike we're just going what do we
do?
And so blazing blazing paddleswas born.
And then there we are.

Speaker 3 (01:09:43):
I love that.
Well, I'm going to dive alittle deeper on the podcast
stuff and I'll listen to somestuff I'm going to.
I'll get it in.
I should have.
I drove all the way out to LBHouston the way it said.
It was an hour and 10 minutedrive, so I should have popped
in the podcast you should have.
Well, the last couple have beenreally good.

Speaker 2 (01:09:58):
Well, all of them have been really good, but we've
got a guy who started thecollege.
It's going to have collegechampionships.
We have this pickleball clinic,these dudes up in New Jersey
who are doing unbelievablethings.

Speaker 1 (01:10:07):
There's some good lessons in that one.
Yeah, yeah, listen to that one,okay.

Speaker 3 (01:10:13):
And this one, of course is probably going to
break pretty much up to therecord.
It's going to be in the in thepodcast Hall of Fame for sure.

Speaker 1 (01:10:20):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (01:10:22):
Thank you guys.
It was so fun.
Have a great holiday season andlet's, let's play next year,
let's get it, let's get somestuff on the books.
Bye guys, bye guys.

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