Pickleball Magazine 2-5 WD | Page 47

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