Fast forward to three or four years ago and I’ m playing against this guy I never met, and I see that he is one-handed. As a player gets to be just above average in pickleball, he begins to look for a weakness in his opponent. Does he lack a good backhand? Is he weak at dinking? Does he have a hard time with deep serves? I’ m actually a little afraid I’ ll take unnecessary advantage. Well, that didn’ t happen! Mike Prpich plays fearlessly, he plays for fun, and he is very good! He’ s addicted to pickleball. He loves the sport.
Mike’ s story in many ways is about life in general. He had to overcome a lot of obstacles, both physical and mental. It’ s the mental toughness that drives us to overcome our physical limitations.
If we stop long enough to ponder Mike’ s story of overcoming a physical handicap, are we not all Mike Prpich in some way or another? I don’ t think he dwells on his handicap. In short, Mike Prpich has what it takes!
Perhaps the next time I’ m on the court, I’ ll think carefully about the mental toughness that it takes to get to the next shot, to the next game, to the next match. Maybe I work a bit more on practice, or dinking, or third-shot drills.
Or maybe I’ ll think about Mike Prpich and concentrate on the next shot and wonder how I can overcome being Server # 2 down 2 points to 10. Somehow, I bet that Mike took it one day at a time, or one shot at a time, while learning to play pickleball. After all, he doesn’ t think he’ s handicapped; he just gets out there and plays. I think Mike sums it up perfectly,“ I learned early on that you have to work hard for what you want and stay positive when things look the bleakest.”
Mike overcame a horrific accident to become a very good pickleball player. In doing so, he had a mental toughness, a tenacity if you will, to succeed against all kinds of long odds. Something tells me Mike is a fighter. He’ s certainly no“ gimmie” on the pickleball courts. He has what it takes!
I wonder if there isn’ t a little bit of Mike Prpich in all of us. We play the game of pickleball because it’ s fun, it’ s a challenge, it’ s addictive, it’ s social. Isn’ t it also about our ability to still play a sport at age 55, or 75 or more? Isn’ t it about something within each of us that says,“ I can do still do this?” I still want to compete, I still want to win, I still want to have a good time! The next time you’ re at Riverbend RV Resort in Florida, ask Mike Prpich to play pickleball and don’ t think for a second that he has a handicap. Just make sure you’ re on his side, not the opponent. •
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER2017 | MAGAZINE 45