Polly with club members Donny
and Kim Wassick at
The Mill Pickleball court.
so the tape could be down full time. I felt
liberated! This single court is the only
indoor air-conditioned court in the area
available daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
In addition, I talked to the local
recreation center and Paradise Inn, a
local hotel, about modifying their tennis
courts to include pickleball. So our town
now has eight outdoor courts. I’ve also
brought USAPA coaches Coach Mo and
Coach Hong Yuan to Bennington.
Because I wanted to maximize the
daily use of my single court, I hired
someone to develop a web app for my
club since so many people wanted to
play with only their friends or same
levels. The app had to be simple enough
for the average user, and my new startup
app will include a corporate feature for
local businesses to keep employees
healthy by playing pickleball. Next
came t-shirts with the cool graphic
design of my new business enterprise
(which I do only for fun).
I attended one of the Level Up Camps
in Phoenix because I wanted to do
something fun with my sister and, since
I’ve run piano camps all my life, I knew
the immersion experience was a good fit.
My piano camps now include
pickleball. I often tell my piano students
that in order to play a difficult passage,
they have to set themselves to be
ready to play the passage, much like
pickleballers need to be ready at the
NVZ. Before you hit a ball, you’re aiming.
In piano, you’re getting yourself in
position.
In pickleball, a mistake occurs
because of something that’s done just
before the error. This is the same for
piano. It’s important to practice from
just before the mistake to remedy the
situation.
When I talk to my students using
pickleball analogies, they tend to “get it”
more readily because it’s talking about
something they can imagine in a grander
way than the fine motor skills required
for piano playing. This helps them to play
better.
Finally, it’s great for my students to see
me struggle at something—just like they
do as amateur adult pianists. It keeps us
human!
Although I’m only an average player, I
enjoy doing good things for the community
and the sport. Perseverance is a necessary
part of pickleball, and my mantra is to
always improve! •
MARCH/APRIL 2019 |
MAGAZINE
35