In today’s issue of the Bite Size Pickleball Newsletter:
More thoughts on Rick’s trip to the PPA in Utah.
I wanted to start with thoughts on 13-year-old Aline Morales first experience at a major professional pickleball event (pictured with her mother above). You probably remember her as I recently featured her in a Pickleball Magazine article. In short, she did great. She won a bronze medal in the junior’s mixed 5.0 and, along the way, most of their opponents targeted her male partner! Check this clip for evidence. Aline is in the purple shorts.
Pretty great point, right? As you can see, THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT! This next generation is going to be amazing.
After the juniors, Aline competed in the pro mixed qualifiers with Bryanna Ojeda, a friend of mine who I set Aline up with. I thought they played great, and could really be a solid team given some time on the court together. I think they played, like, one warmup game before the competition.
In their qualifier, they lost their first game, won the second, and then lost the deciding third game by only four points. Four points away from advancing out of the ADULT pro qualifier! Not a bad entry into the pro world, in my book. The only thing holding Aline back is her age. She simply needs to grow bigger, and stronger, and she will be right there with the top players, IMO. I am guessing by the age of 16 it will happen for her.
Here is my favorite point of the match, as you will hear at the end of the clip. FYI: The very tall woman is former NBA great Shawn Kemp’s daughter Brianna. I think she has a lot of potential as well, length and power.
Check out Aline’s save and touch on the point, and Bryanna’s aggressive attack mode. That was the combo I felt held a lot of potential.
The really good news is that because of the Pickleball Magazine article, a couple stepped up and decided to sponsor Aline’s career! Courtney and Joe flew Aline and her mother to Utah, and they are making plans to get her back to the States to play soon. The pen is mightier than the sword!
Also a shout-out to Santa Barbara’s Cade Pierson catching some very needed z’s above, pictured with Bryanna Ojeda. Cade made it to the quarterfinals in women’s pro singles. These two ladies from the 805 are going for it! And I applaud them both!
I had a ton of fun at the PPA. It WAS like being at Disneyland for pickleball addicts without having to wait in lines. I really enjoyed watching a few players, who brought the joy, like Augie Ge (pictured above). Others that brought a lot of joy were Connor Garnett and Jaume Martinez Vich.
I have been writing, and talking, a lot about joy lately, as you know. Not only does our country need more of it, but I really believe it helps a pickleball player fly. It definitely gives me wings on the court. Not Red Bull, like James Ignatowich in this video.
What is up with that??? There is a chance I may be writing an article for Pickleball Magazine on the James Jumping Jack Flash (baby it’s a gas). But in the meantime, I will stick with the Power of Joy. Here is Martinez Vich on a game point with his also fun partner Mary Brascia.
For more on my PPA experience, make sure to tune into the Bite Size Pickleball podcast on Sunday because I will be covering stuff that will most certainly help your game rise to the next level. Click here for the podcast.