PLAYER PROFILE
SUPER SENIOR
Jill
Petersen:
SAVANNAH’S SUPER
SENIOR SENSATION
BY PAT BROOKS
T
o say pickleball is a sport that can
be played and enjoyed at all ages is
definitely true for Savannah pickler Jill
Petersen. While many of us would be
thrilled to simply make it into our 80s, Jill
is proudly holding court in both pickleball
and tennis—and still going strong at age 86!
She has been playing pickleball competitively for about
four years in leagues as well as local tournaments in
doubles and mixed doubles.
Jill played tennis in her youth
but stopped while working and
raising a family. She picked it
up again in her 40s and is now
a solid 4.0 club player in tennis
and 3.0/3.5 in pickleball.
Jill loves the fast action at the pickleball net and, with
a glint in her eye, reveals she likes “smacking it down the
middle” on a pop-up. She also enjoys the intricacies of
the third shot drop, which she’s vowed to stick with and
master. Jill does drills and works on her game weekly
with local pro Mike Hardman at The Landings.
In tennis, Jill usually plays doubles with the men.
Her game tends to fit better with their fondness for the
net game. Conner Murphy, a regular on The Landings
courts, says Jill is a fierce competitor, but at the same
time, is always a lady on and off the court and fun to play
with and against. Says Murphy, “She likes to exercise
and have fun like we all do, but winning never gets old!”
Jill hopes to expand
her tournament plans to
regional and perhaps national
tournaments where she can
compete with and against
other super seniors. She’s
even considering singles
pickleball if she can fit it into her busy schedule.
We wish Jill a wonderful 2019 as she continues to
break barriers in the sport we all love. •
“ She likes to exercise and
have fun like we all do, but
winning never gets old! ”
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