A
battle of wills, physically and emotionally.
People’s innate ability to challenge
themselves, to raise their level of fitness
and survival to unforeseen heights. An
acute awareness of how to handle your opponent
through physical dominance or, at times, mental
deception. No, it isn’t the latest gold medal match at a
USAPA-sanctioned event. It’s the wildly popular CBS
reality show “Survivor.”
And while the sport of pickleball is attracting people
from all walks of life, it’s the celebrity sector that’s
starting to draw lots of attention. One such recognizable
athlete is Tyson Apostol, winner of “Survivor” Season
27: Blood vs. Water. Tyson is no stranger to competitive
sports, having been a former professional cyclist in
Europe, riding for the Austrian professional continental
squad, Team Volksbank, and cycling throughout the
magnificent landscapes of Switzerland, Belgium and
Austria. He also attended Brigham Young University
on a swimming scholarship, so the competitive
juices have always been flowing in the Mesa, Arizona,
resident who lives with his wife, Rachel, a former
“Survivor” competitor herself, and their two children.
He now aspires to one day play pickleball on a
professional level and, when he’s not hitting the courts,
play the tables as a poker aficionado. “I moved to Arizona
from Utah a couple of years ago, and even though I’d
heard of pickleball while in Utah, I never played,” said
Tyson, who was born in Provo. “I played a little tennis
growing up and a lot of table tennis, so when I saw
people playing on the neighborhood courts in Arizona,
I was immediately interested in trying it out. I bought
a wood paddle set and started playing and joining in
the neighborhood meet-ups once or twice a week. I
loved that is was a competitive group game, but not too
serious. Plus, I was looking for something new and active
to do. I’d been cycling and running my whole life and
needed to take a break from that stuff.”
Now 41, he originally competed on Survivor: Tocantins
in 2009, then returned a year later as a villain on
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. In 2013, he appeared on
the show for his third season, and ultimately went on
to win the $1 million dollar prize on Survivor: Blood vs.
Water. Tyson is currently competing for a fourth time
on Survivor: Winners at War. “I first got involved with
‘Survivor’ through my parents. They’ve been huge fans
of the show since the very first episode. I was just coming
off a pro cycling career in Europe and was kind of
directionless,” he recalled. “My dad encouraged me to
send in an audition, even though I’d never actually seen
the show. I sent in a tape, got an immediate response and
it’s been a whirlwind of over a decade since.”
As a natural competitor, Tyson is always striving to
improve and sees a lot of similarities in progressing in
pickleball and those that earned him so much success
on “Survivor.” “It takes a lot of different things to win,
so you must utilize your strengths and minimize your
weaknesses,” he explained. “For me personally, my
athleticism partnered with my strong social play, being
able to connect with many different personalities and
backgrounds, helped me win. Coming from a cycling
background also helped in that cycling is very strategic—
you always must have a plan, as well as the fact that
cyclists are performing on very low calories to stay light.
I’m no stranger to putting my body at a deficit. The final
and maybe most important ingredient is luck. Every
winner of every season has some point where things
could have gone wrong for them and didn’t. If you can’t
recognize that, you aren’t a great ‘Survivor’ player.”
Tyson’s neighborhood in the East Valley of the Phoenix
metropolitan area has pickleball courts so he’s out
playing at least two to three times a week, often with
his 4-year-old daughter, and sometimes will enter
tournaments with his brother-in-law. “I’m 6’3” and
he’s even taller so we have some pretty good reach and
power. I’d love to get more serious about the game. I
think with the proper coach and more time devoted to
it we could play at the highest level. It’s crossed my mind
many times. With two young kids at home, it’s just about
finding the time, energy and motivation to do it.”
One aspect of pickleball that attracts many new players
are the social vibes it puts off, something that’s not lost
on Tyson. Being on “Survivor” emitted a vastly different
social atmosphere. “The toughest aspects of ‘Survivor’
are different for every single person who’s ever played
the game. Some will say the hunger, the lack of sleep,
not showering for over a month, being away from home
without any contact,” he said. “For me personally it’s
trying to wrangle all these different and mostly strong
personalities into thinking you are with them. Giving
them and their ideas validation while still getting them
to go along with your plan instead of theirs... it’s a very
delicate dance.”
Perhaps in the foreseeable future a Pickleball
/“Survivor” concept will meld and become a popular
attraction for those with the nerve, determination
and desire to pursue. A marathon concept whereby
contestants would have to hold their paddles
and compete across the net from others for days at a
time, non-stop. Tyson would welcome that challenge: “I
wouldn’t bet against me on something like that.” •
Drew Wathey is Director of Media Relations for
the USAPA and author of “A Season With Hope.”
APRIL/MAY 2020 |
MAGAZINE
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