AROUND THE POST
ONE PICKLEBALL-
ADDICTED KID!
T
By Jennifer Lucore & Alex Hamner
his issue is focused on Juniors, so what’s
better than to share a story about Matthew
Riegert—a cool 15-year-old at the 2019 US
Open Pickleball Championships.
It was the last day of the tournament and we were
talking with friends who had courtside box seats when
they introduced us to a friendly, personable and very
polite young man. We got a quick story of how he arrived
at the US Open and thought, “Wow! This is a great story!”
Matthew was introduced to pickleball by his neighbor,
coach and mentor Denny Vincent, a fellow pickleballer
who has won many tournaments at the 4.5 level and in
Matthew Riegert
the 60+ and 70+ age groups. Matthew started playing
pickleball in October 2018, and remembers watching
the US Open for the first time on YouTube and thinking,
“I wish I could be there.” To reach that goal, he started
playing the sport weekly and began to focus on the finer
skills of pickleball, such as dinking and serves, hoping
he, too, could make it to the US Open.
Matthew’s dad says, “He’s self-driven and knew
he would need to take lessons and compete in more
tournaments to advance his skills. He started mowing
24
lawns and doing chores in his neighborhood to help
pay for his lessons and equipment. All he wanted for
Christmas was a new paddle! On Christmas Day, much
to his surprise, under the tree was a new Selkirk Invikta
paddle along with a plane ticket to Fort Lauderdale to
attend the US Open on April 26, 2019.”
Matthew promised his dad all A’s and B’s at the
end of the quarter, so he could “play hooky” to make
the trip to Naples. Before attending the US Open, he
participated in four tournaments to get more playing time
and experience. When it came time to get on the plane,
alone, it hit him—“I’m going to be playing in the pickleball
US Open, and I couldn’t believe it! I was extremely
honored to get to play in such an event.”
On the morning of his arrival, he was humbled to be
in the presence of so many fantastic players. During the
event, people were so nice and supportive, he felt he
belonged there. Being among the pros was not at all
intimidating because they were so very approachable and
kind. Denny was also able to secure a position of “ball
boy” for Matthew during the pro medal matches, which
was a fantastic experience for this young fan.
When Matthew flies to pickleball tournaments, he often
does it alone and has become a master at working his
way through airports and enjoys the independence of
traveling solo. In just one year, through hard work and
persistence, Matthew has made his dream of playing
pickleball tournaments happen for himself. Today he
continues to practice pickleball with a fantastic group in
Worthington, Ohio.
“I’m thankful for the people who have helped and
supported me in this fantastic experience. The people
make the sport. No wonder it’s the fastest growing sport
in the country,” he says.
And, we might add, the most addicting! •
Jennifer Lucore and Alex Hamner started playing
pickleball in 2010, and have competed in tournaments
across the USA (and internationally). Between them, they
have 26 National Titles, including winning gold in the
Women’s Open Doubles at Nationals for four consecutive
years (2011–2014). For more pickleball fun see Jennifer’s
blog at www.allpickleball.com.
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