AROUND THE POST
Finalists Share
Lessons Learned
from Nationals 2017
In life there are a few basic facts
we all know but don’t necessarily like
to admit: you can’t win everything,
it’s not always easy losing and you
never stop learning—unless you
want to.
With this in mind, we asked
some of the finalists from the USAPA
2017 National Championships to
share what they learned during
the tournament, and here’s what
they said:
// Ben Johns
Silver, Men’s Open Singles
Nationals 2017 definitely taught
me some new things. While playing
Tyson McGuffin in the finals, I
could see he had been working
exceptionally hard on his game,
particularly since the last time I
had played him at Tournament of
Champions and beat him in the
final. His intensity and dedication
since then obviously paid off. This
taught me that if I want to stay on
top, I have to really want it. You
learn more from your losses than
your wins and, in this case, I learned
I have to dedicate myself to my goal
and work extremely hard to get it.
Remind yourself of your goal every
day and know what you have to
do to get there.
32
// Simone Jardim
Silver, Open Mixed Doubles
with Daniel Moore
Daniel and I lost early on in the draw
in a really tough match against Wes
Gabrielsen and Sarah Ansboury. So
we had to work our way through the
losers bracket to get back to the finals.
What I learned is that although we had
a great comeback and started the finals
match feeling good—and it seemed
as if we had found our groove—with
pickleball, nothing is ever over. Matt
Wright and Lucy Kovalova regrouped
quickly on the tie-breaker game to 15,
and we found ourselves in a big hole. It
was a great match, but I feel we ran out
of gas by the end and Matt and Lucy
still had enough left in the tank. They
played great.
Supple pickle
always wins...
unless your
name is
Matt Wright.
Wes Gabrielsen
Silver, Open Men’s Doubles
with Kyle Yates
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// Glen Peterson
Silver, Men’s Senior Open Singles
Both finals were very close matches
with Scott Moore. I’ve only beaten
Scott twice in majors. I had to draw
on a great deal of emotional intensity,
which is not my happy place. So
the lesson for me is to go with Bob
Marley’s advice and be happy no
matter the outcome. Competing at
age 56 in the sunshine with friends
is pretty cool.
// Jake Weinbach
Silver, Junior Men’s Doubles
{with Brian Astbury) and Mixed Doubles
(with LeEllen Lane)
At Nationals I learned it takes a
lot of effort and perseverance to win
matches. Every game is a challenge,
and you really have to put in 100
percent on every point to get the job
done. I also learned you really have to
trust and support your partner when
playing doubles. Finally, I learned you
gotta drink a lot of water. I cramped
up a couple of times, and it was not
fun. Taking care of your body is a big
factor when playing in a tournament.
// LeEllen Lane
Silver, Juniors Mixed Doubles
with Jake Weinbach
One of the personal lessons
I learned this year at Nationals