Pickleball Magazine 3-1 | Page 34

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 TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 888.308.3720 OR GO TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM By Alex Hamner & Jennifer Lucore // 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