0:00
Who would thought that we would be
0:02
playing pro at our at this age so
0:06
uh being and playing pickleball it just
0:10
is such a great opportunity it's such a
0:12
it opened the door for our age group and
0:16
we're out there we're working out we're
0:19
we're Drilling and we know we can do it
0:22
so that's the beauty about pickleball
0:24
that it's anybody's game and especially
0:28
being a woman it's like it's just a nice
0:31
opportunity to be playing uh pickleball
0:34
at a pro level
0:39
first of all you have to be 50 years 50
0:41
years and older yeah they have a ranking
0:44
of at least 4.5 and above
0:48
it's very intense like I said this is my
0:52
first year most of the senior Pros I've
0:54
been here for at least seven to eight
0:56
years
0:57
uh they're amazing I mean I've been
1:00
following them since the last couple
1:02
years since I started
1:04
so I'm very fortunate to now play
1:06
against them I'm the
1:09
co-founder of sky blue pickleball and I
1:13
design pickleball sessions for the
1:17
growing Global pickleball community
1:19
and I've been very lucky to be sponsored
1:22
by sky blue and as you see I'm wearing
1:26
their new capris
1:28
for the U.S open we played the senior
1:31
mixed doubles today
1:39
[Applause]
1:40
an amount of tournaments to qualify and
1:44
I made it I was very lucky and I was
1:47
asked to play woman Senior Pro with one
1:49
of the Legends Alex Sumner and luckily
1:53
we didn't do that well but it was just a
1:55
pleasure playing with her and just
1:58
loving this event this venue has been
2:00
one of my favorites so far well I got to
2:03
tell you first of all I was Jeffrey's
2:04
partner last year he got too good for me
2:07
so I had I had to go back down but these
2:10
two are fantastic together as you have
2:13
seen Colleen is just incredible she is
2:16
just she's just an incredible player new
2:18
to the game not even playing a year not
2:21
even playing one year and she's already
2:23
at three five close to 4-0 just solid
2:26
solid solid
2:28
they're just mashing their game look at
2:31
this how can she flip the switch how can
2:33
she be funny relaxed and put the Killer
2:35
Instinct on that's all up here that's
2:38
mindfulness she wraps herself around it
2:41
she dedicates herself to it every single
2:43
day in every single thing she does and
2:47
you feel it it's it's it's an energy she
2:51
brings the serious energy to the game
2:54
and to life and that's what we all want
2:56
to do right
2:58
well he answered it is be true yourself
3:01
I was a massage therapist
3:04
practitioner master so I do better
3:07
so it's all about computer science
3:13
Colleen comes from a sports background
3:15
so you can see that tiger
3:17
you know Killer Instinct on the court
3:21
but she's such a lovely human
3:25
that transfers to the court too she has
3:28
great great
3:30
Court presence
3:32
but in terms of women I think a lot of
3:36
women especially our age my age I'm 62.
3:40
you're 50 50. a lot of women our age
3:43
because of support we didn't have as
3:46
many opportunities and pickleball really
3:48
gives women especially those that didn't
3:51
play sports growing up an opportunity to
3:54
play water a sport that is competitive
3:58
yet friendly
4:00
and it's just the best sport there's
4:03
this term out there grow the Game grow
4:04
the game
4:06
it's a responsibility I think for those
4:09
of us that love pickleballs to help
4:12
other people so we would reel you in
4:14
because that's the way we are we would
4:16
just say come on now let's come we'll
4:18
meet you if you don't want to come with
4:20
the room
4:21
we'll meet you at a different time
4:22
because we want people to enjoy the game
4:24
as much as we enjoy the game what is it
4:27
like playing with two very type A
4:29
personality women
4:32
uh it's a lot of fun you come out uh
4:35
obviously here's a very competitive uh
4:38
situation and whenever you're playing in
4:40
a mixed uh situation out there it's easy
4:43
being the guy
4:45
I sit around I watch the game 90 of the
4:47
time when they're they're playing and
4:49
then the 10 of the time that I get to
4:51
hit the ball I look really good because
4:53
they set me up to look that good look at
4:55
it a lot of it has to do I think too
4:57
which when it comes down to what the
4:59
level that these guys are at and and
5:01
bigger or for and higher it's a matter
5:04
of just pure strength so on on the
5:07
average
5:08
guys are going to be stronger physically
5:11
than women but what I'm seeing here and
5:13
what you have seen in this young lady
5:16
the Ninja
5:18
she's got it up here her skill set is
5:21
she looks she can she's a very strong
5:23
player but she can overcome some of that
5:26
because because of her chest playing if
5:30
you will
5:31
the strategy of it all I'm telling you
5:34
the minute I picked up a pickleball
5:36
about a year and a half two years ago I
5:39
was like oh my God this is this is
5:41
heaven uh I mean look at us we're on
5:44
vacation we're playing we're working
5:47
hard we want to be the best of course
5:49
and that's the beauty pickleball is like
5:53
family we we have so many families in
5:56
pickleball that is just incredible
5:59
foreign
Share
If you want the best of both worlds, watch women playing pickleball -- or better yet, if you're a woman, pick-up a pickleball paddle if you haven't already. It's a game made for women who multi-task 24/7/365 - always in control, never a dull moment and as social as the 4th of July block picnic. Check-out a few of the amazing players - from Gen Alpha to Boomers - competing at the 2023 U.S. Open Pickleball Championships hosted in Naples, Florida. No one said it better than Title IX power tennis-turned-pickleball player Pam Davidson when describing her mentee Colleen Baier: "She's a Ninja...with a killer instinct," that co-exists with additional attributes including "mindfulness, laser focus and loveliness" that describes any or all of the 108+ million American females over the age of 18 - at least on a decent day. Another reason to love the sport.
Common Message
Site Map
Comments