Pickleball, Tennis, and Why: A recent trip to Saddlebrook
In early February, I went down to the 2024 PTR Racquets Conference at Saddlebrook Resort. I went with Zack, a friend and fellow racquet sports professional. We met up with, Alex, another Boston-area tennis pro. I went down there hoping to get some new ideas on tennis teaching and running a tennis business. The conference also had some pickleball sessions so It felt like a nice little BOGO.
Regarding pickleball, Zack was skeptical to say the least, and the conference only reaffirmed his belief that pickleball is basically cornhole with a paddle. It didn’t help that various sessions discouraged players from running or moving their feet too much. Walking, pivoting, and maintaining “dynamic stability” were recommended.
Possibly influenced by my friend, I got the impression that the pickleball crowd can take themselves pretty seriously at times. But who cares? The point is people are out there enjoying themselves and being active.
One of the pickleball thought leaders that led various sessions was Sarah Ansboury. Many attendees hung on her every word. We were a little more skeptical, but I did learn a lot from the presentations even though much of the lingo was foreign to me.
We also played some. Say what you will, but pickle has figured out how to get people playing. We went out there not knowing anyone. In minutes, we were engaged in a fun and competitive game. It was Zack and Alex against me and Karen, a woman I had just met. She was a strong player, and we won the first game.
It was really cool to win that first one, but I knew what was coming. Zack and Alex are really good athletes and excellent tennis players. It wouldn’t be long until they figured this out.
First off, they stopped hitting the ball to me, preferring to pepper Karen with all kinds of sharp volleys and spinning shots. Like I say, she was a strong player, but at 65+ years old, her hands were full dealing with two swashbucklers. In a moment of competitive enthusiasm, Zack smashed a high volley that pelted her in the chest. This was a far cry from cornhole.
Fortunately, Karen was ok. She actually didn’t even bat an eye and kept playing. We lost the next 2 sets, as expected, but we had a lot of fun.
Alex, Zack and I on the grass!
On the tennis side of the conference, we heard from one of the most decorated doubles players of all time, Gigi Fernandez. We watched one of the world’s best ever servers, Ivo Karlovic, hit bombs on the practice court. And we listened to former top-5 pro James Blake talk about his experience training as a junior at the very tennis center we were at - Saddlebrook.
We also played plenty of tennis ourselves Hard court, har-tru, red clay and grass. That was the highlight for me, just hitting with a couple of excellent players and being around people who really love tennis.
Because Saddlebrook is a tennis academy, we saw some of the country’s best juniors train with their coaches. Several were going on to Division I tennis programs and others might become pros one day.
“My highlight was having a few days to remember how much fun tennis can be and how sharing that joy for the game is a big part of my “why.”
I did get some new ideas for my classes, clinics and lessons. I also ran into some folks I knew and met some interesting people. But the best thing by far was just having a few days to remember how much fun tennis can be and how sharing that joy for the game is a big part of my “why.” Finding your “why” was a central theme of the conference.
Of course, sharing their joy for the sport is exactly what the pickleball people are trying to do too so I guess I have to admit they aren’t that bad after all.
