PLAYER TO
WATCH by RICK CIPES hayden
PATRIQUIN
Nineteen-year-old Hayden Patriquin resembles a stock character from the old Wild West , specifically the brash young gun who rides into a new town and causes the sheriff to look up from his game of solitaire and exclaim , “ Uh-oh ! We got trouble .”
Patriquin , known as “ Big H ” to the pickleball world , brings trouble to the court in the form of one of the fastest draws , tremendous footwork , and an oversized confidence .
“ Probably the most swag I ’ ve seen in someone his size ,” says fellow pro Augie Ge . “ He is a huge presence on the ‘ Shake and Bake ,’ and he makes it so there are very few safe spots on the court .”
Big H , who picked up the game from his grandfather at the age of 13 , was a baseball player who turned pickleball pro at 16 . Last year , he won three PPA gold medals with his partner Federico Staksrud , and this season he is currently ranked in the top 10 on the PPA Tour . The only other teenager to crack the top 10 is his fellow teammate on MLP ’ s St . Louis Shock , Gabe Tardio . Ross Chaifetz , one of the owners of the Shock , says he drafted Patriquin because “ Hayden struck a unique balance as a player : He had the ability to impact the team immediately , but his youth meant he had room to run and get even better .”
One of his PPA mixed doubles partners , Rachel Rohrabacher , explains how she got hooked up with Patriquin . “ My fiancé saw Hayden play back when I first started , and he really wanted me to play with him because of his ball manipulation skills and his court demeanor . I feel super-confident having Hayden on my side of the court . He has a lot of swagger .”
Chaifetz adds , “ His swagger is immaculate , and his game is cold-blooded . How many Rolex-wearing , F-150 Raptor-driving , finger-wagging teenagers do you know at the top of their game ?”
The answer to that question is obvious . The next question is : Where does he go from here ? A sign that Patriquin is headed for the top is his recent pairing with Ben Johns at the Tucson Open in February . The two were tearing through the competition until they ran into the outlaw gang known as Alshon / Daescu . Big H and Big Ben did manage to claim the bronze . But just the fact that Patriquin was picked by Johns , as Johns looks to experiment with new partners , says so much about the potential for his future .
“ He has an unlimited upside in pickleball and in life ,” says Chaifetz . “ I think being on the tour as early as he was gave him a huge advantage on the maturity curve . He takes everything seriously : his game , his future , and his relationships . Hayden will lead us to an MLP championship , and he will continue to beat the best in the PPA .”
In other words , there are probably a lot of sheriffs , in a lot of towns , who have put down their deck of cards and are trying to figure out just how to deal with The Pickleball Kid . •
Rick Cipes is the host of “ Bite Size Pickleball ,” featuring a newsletter and a podcast , and he is the writer of the books “ How to Play Better Pickleball ” and “ 11 Ways of the Athletic Warrior : A Guide to Peak Performance ,” both available through Amazon .
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