HOT SHOTS !
Only two players in pickleball ’ s 60-year history have developed a shot so unique , so difficult and so bold that the sport has established shots named for them .
by MATTHEW SCHWARTZ
In their first interviews in years , longtime friends Erne Perry , who the Erne shot is named after , and Timothy Nelson , whose namesake is the Nasty Nelson , spoke with Pickleball Magazine .
“ It ’ s pretty amazing to have a shot named after you ,” Erne Perry says . He is rightfully proud . The Erne is a shot requiring a high level of athleticism and agility , and looks awesome when successful .
The Erne is often set up by many straight-on dinks near either sideline because the player planning it wants to lull the opponent into a sense of security . The player executing the Erne eventually hits the volley in midair before or after establishing both feet outside the non-volley zone ( the kitchen ) following one of three scenarios : 1 ) Jumping over the corner of the kitchen . 2 ) Running around the kitchen corner . 3 ) Running through the kitchen .
Perry was actually first victimized by a player hitting a similar shot . He decided to tweak it for his own play and liked it so much he began using it regularly in 1993 .
The shot didn ’ t have a name until the 2010 USA Pickleball National Championships in Arizona . Perry used it successfully several times in one match and after about the fifth put-away , a guy who was videotaping the game yelled , “ Erne !” The name , and the shot , stuck .
Perry , who is a founding member of USA Pickleball , currently plays pickleball five days a week for three hours a day . He used to play eight to nine hours a day , but back pain stemming from a car wreck combined with arthritis in his hands ended those marathon sessions . Perry ’ s DUPR is 4.93 . He ’ s 5 ' 11 ", 170 pounds , and looks to be in terrific shape . When asked his age he simply says , “ I ’ m over 50 and qualify for the senior tour .”
Perry and his wife , Kim , have been married for 42 years . They have two children and live in Gig Harbor , Washington , during the summer and Edmond , Oklahoma , in the winter . He ’ s a retired commercial contractor , born in Texas and raised in Oklahoma , where he started playing pickleball in 1985 . “ It is a sport that anyone can play , whether you are young or old , male or female , and anyone can be great at it ,” Perry says .
When he plays pickleball with strangers , Perry tells them his first name but never that he ’ s the Erne the shot is named after . Rabid pickleball fans and those who know the sport ’ s history sometimes recognize him , especially if he pulls an Erne on them . He says opponents really get a thrill using his shot against him . “ Everybody wants to Erne Erne ,” he says with a chuckle .
Whatever his age , Perry plays with a youthful enthusiasm and is boisterous on the court . “ I definitely like to talk to my opponents ,” he says . “ I try to get in their head .” He talks and dresses loudly , with colorful on-court clothes . “ When I ’ m in a tournament , they know where I am !”
Perry notes that he ’ s played pickleball 500 times with — and 500 times against — the player who also has a shot named after him : Timothy Nelson , creator of the Nasty Nelson . The pickleball legends live 80 miles apart
SEE NEXT PAGE �
JULY / AUGUST 2024 | MAGAZINE 35