I grew up mostly in Oregon, have lived in California and Washington state as well. After working at a cardroom/casino in Washington, and growing tired of the rain, Las Vegas seemed like a logical place to go. I lived in Las Vegas since the summer of 2006 and recently relocated to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. I/we are very content here, living in a small community, a house near water, among nature, with plenty of fellow pickleball people, where our biggest concerns are just how many games of pickleball are we going to play that day, and maybe, what’s for dinner, does seem like a dream come true. Anyone else up for that reality???
After various relationships, I hit the lottery when Rebekah came into my life, late in 2017. She is the most wonderful person on the planet, and we look forward to growing old together. Rebekah has very much embraced my pickleball obsession, which I am forever grateful for. I would also like to mention I have had the most supportive and loving father in the world. (Bob) Thanks dad!!! He is still doing very well at 85 years young…
Rebekah and I love our home and simple life together. We are home bodies most of the time, enjoying each other’s company, playing cards/games, watch our shows/movies, sports(me), , practice pickleball in the backyard, etc... She has a good work from home job, we also board dogs for people who are traveling in/out of town. We have no kids, so these dogs are like our children. Our dog owners love us, since we only take one client at a time, we do not have other animals, and we are home most of the time with their babies. We absolutely love our furry friends…
I have been pretty athletic my entire life. Playing baseball as a kid for the Whiskey Hill Bulldogs, we were the 1987 County and State Champions out of Canby, Oregon. I like to joke, I peeked at 9 years old, and been downhill since. (HA) Continued with baseball, basketball, but sparing the details, my sports career was cut short. Through the years, I have played tons of basketball, and dabbled with tennis, table tennis, racquetball, and golf among other things. I have never in my life, found something as enjoyable and addicting as pickleball. I wish I was 16 all over again, and pickleball was all the rage. However, I am very blessed to have found it now, and with any luck, you all have to put up with me for years to come. I played with a very gifted 87 year old man a while back, which was very inspiring. I can only hope to be on the courts at that age.
How I discovered pickleball…
My wife and I went to play tennis at Bill Briare park in Las Vegas, once we got out to the courts (long walk from the parking lot) we realized it was for… pickleball? This was many years ago, but we were intrigued. We ordered a starter kit and would go hit on occasion. I did not know what a dink was at that point. Fast forwarding way ahead, I have lost 20 pounds playing this sport, learned and studied this game in depth, have read books, watched untold hours of videos, matches, and have personally played/practiced countless hours on the courts and in the backyard. I truly believe I know this game better than most, and what I lack in physical ability, I can often make up with smart/solid play, and maybe an irrational level of determination on the courts. I am trying to achieve an unrealistic level of consistency, but the desire is there. (Why do we all miss such routine shots, sometimes many times per game, yet other games, we rarely miss? Human error and various other factors are inevitable I suppose) I love the chess match of pickleball, the competition, strategy, and physical/mental elements. Folks, this is a great game, and it gets my best efforts every time, as we never know when our last match will be.
For several years now, I have helped many people trying to improve their skills on the court both physically and mentally. If I had to estimate, easily over 100 people, maybe closer to 200. This has given me great personal satisfaction, and has no doubt helped me, more than I have helped others. For that entire time, I have never charged anyone for my time, my services, best efforts, all free of charge. I am finally going to listen to many friends/acquaintances, and start charging a little something for my time. Please do not let my low hourly suggested donation deter you in taking lessons/drilling with someone who really knows this game and no doubt could help you improve yours. I look forward to working with all of you.
I would like to address two things that come up on occasion.
One, I do take this game seriously and compete very hard. To some onlookers, it might seem I am not happy, in a trance, possessed even. I can get intense on the courts, play hard, and admittedly, cannot stand walking to the net as the losing team. I doubt some of these things will ever change. We are who we are. I would like everyone to know, I never mean or have any ill will towards anyone, just me fighting my own battles out there, trying to be consistent, play smart, and win the game/match. Again, I play very hard, have put in a lot of work, and expect more out of myself than is possible. I think I owe it to my partner, the other team, and this great game of pickleball my best efforts every time out. Some games are very casual and those tend to take on a life of their own, but I love a good blood and guts game too. With that being said, when the dust settles, win/lose, I love this game, and thoroughly enjoy the people and competition on the courts. I hope people are willing to get to know me off the court and not just judge me when I am in the heat of the moment.
The second thing, is why do I not play more tournaments? I have mixed feelings on tournaments. I have found it is VERY important to find the right partner for yourself, but also a good fit for your potential partner as well. I, for instance, am NOT partner material for everyone. It absolutely must be the right fit for both sides. If I find that right male/female partner, that would be a good starting point for me to play more tournaments. Also, I have been refining/focusing on my skills for some time, just trying to become a smarter/more competent player. Worth mentioning: I do not like the wait between matches in tournaments. Many times, you play a match, wait 10/20/30 minutes or possibly longer, and then, finally play again. That wreaks havoc on my body, and just not a fan. I will play for 6-7 hours in a day, but I like to keep it going. It also seems murky, if the right players are in the right brackets/skill level. My first tournament ever, quite a while back now, 3.0 level, in my third match, I think to this day, I played a 4.0, possibly 4.5 player, and that did not sit well with me. I hear similar stories all the time, and think it needs to get ironed out. Sometimes the cost vs. the number of matches you get to play does not seem like good value to me. I have seen some tournaments with three teams, and everyone gets a medal. (Bogus) I saw a team go 1-5 at a past Mountain Regional, and won a gold medal. How is this possible? They were in a 5.0 bracket, with the 19 plus, 35 plus, and 50 plus age groups all combined. The team’s one win came vs. the other 35 plus team, and they lost to everyone else. They gave a gold medal to each age group, they were 1-0 vs. the other 35 plus age group, and 0-5 vs. everyone else. That to me folks, is a sham. I am not against tournaments but these are just a few valid reasons why I sometimes just prefer to play as many hours/games as I want, vs. who I want, for free, with no weather factor(wind) if I choose a calm day, and when I am finished, I just go home. Thank you all for reading, come say hello to me on the courts.
