Latest / Around the Pod | Pickleball Podcast / Ben Johns' Ex-Partner, Nasty Nelsons & Rally Scoring Hot Takes with Joey Farias & Mitch Hargreaves | Episode 5

Transcript

Ben Johns' Ex-Partner, Nasty Nelsons & Rally Scoring Hot Takes with Joey Farias & Mitch Hargreaves | Episode 5 · Around the Pod | Pickleball Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_02: They let us up on the uh on the DJ booth, like we were on the mics, just like trying to get everyone rowdy.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_01: There was a guy named Zayn Afflet.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_01: He would take 12 different paddles to the court and play a match.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: I was playing with a guy named Tim Nelson.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: Tim came up with the nasty Nelson.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: A bunch of other rules in pickleball were because of him.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_01: Zayn came up to me and said, We're playing you guys next round, and I'm gonna nasty Nelson Tim.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_01: He takes one of his paddles, 13 paddles, leads it up to, I think he said about 14 ounces, and takes the first serve and nails Tim.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: He nasty Nelson, the inventor of the nasty Nelson.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_02: Kind of find it like really refreshing playing new players.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you don't need to apologize every time you hit a net chord.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_02: If I'm missing the net, I'm not gonna say sorry, or they're not gonna say sorry.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_02: Like, nice try.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: Biggest hot take is I think pickleball to make the next like jump.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_04: I think we gotta go to Welcome to Around the Pod ATP.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_04: We're here at Pickle for Real, who are gladly hosting us.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_04: Um we've got some special guests today.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_04: I'm here with Michael though, but we've got Mitch Hargrave and Joey Farius, um, two crazy good pros in the Australian space and Joey internationally in the US as well.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_04: So we'll get started by I guess you two introducing yourselves, tell us the the viewers about you.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_04: I know what you guys are like, but maybe some of the others don't.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_02: All right, well, I've uh I've actually known Blitzy since what, 2019.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_02: That's when I got into pickleball.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um I grew up in the States in Hawaii and then moved to Australia when I was about 10.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_02: Uh played tennis all my life pretty much, and then um, yeah, I guess all my friends in Hawaii started playing pickleball and they said I should get into it.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_02: So one of my holidays back there, I just tried it out and it's pretty fun.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_02: Came back to Australia and like Blitz was like the only other guy my age playing, and uh he actually beat me at the Nationals.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_04: The first national championship.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, he he he'll he'll never let me forget it either.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but no, since then we've had like a lot of matchups and a lot of fun.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: Uh had a little break over COVID, like two years off or something, and then uh got back into it, and that's when I really started playing uh professionally.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_02: And um, yeah, just right now I'm signed to the PPA tour.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, so I play all the Asia PPAs and in Australia, and um, I guess some in the US as well.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so uh I've been playing pickleball now for about 10 years.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um started in like late 2015 or and then actually playing events in 2016.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um came from tennis, grew up in Texas, played college tennis, all that good jazz, and then was uh working at a club in Michigan where I found pickleball.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: Was very fortunate that my first time on court happened to be with the number one female team for a long time.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: It was Corinne Carr and Simone Jardine.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um so that was my we were all starting the same day there in Lansing, Michigan.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, just kind of got hooked, took a vacation to go play the first US Open in Naples, Florida.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, meddled in some pro events, got sponsored, and that event I played against a guy named Ben Johns, and then the following year we played together the next two years or a year and a half or so like that.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: Then got hurt, kind of took off a little bit.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um but I've been playing on and off in these last like year and a half and mainly coaching.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: So I've been traveling around the world coaching a bunch.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: Currently, right now, been in between Malaysia and here and the Gold Coast, coaching Apex Academy.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_01: I think they're doing a fantastic job of growing the game here in Australia.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, I came to Australia in 2018 to get pickleball started.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: Uh kind of came in to beat tennis pros in tennis to convince them they should try pickleball.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: That was the whole like uh trip for about three weeks.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, um, to see where it's been then to where it is now, it's amazing.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, well, because I think like when I started 2018, I think it was just after probably your tour in Australia.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_04: I know you met Ben Coston and a few others.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and I think for you, like it's crazy that you've played against Ben Johns and you still work closely with him.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_04: Like, what's some of the stuff you still do with him?
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so uh mainly doing a bunch of like pickleball getaways with them.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so we do some coaching together, things like that.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: Uh still stay in contact with them.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: I've known him since he was 17 years old.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: So and yeah, to see where he's gone from there to now, it's I mean, just probably the smartest pickleball player I've ever been around.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, everyone always says how cerebral he is.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and I think that's what makes him so much different than everyone else.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_04: Um, just to add on to you, Mitch, like I remember when you took that gap from pickleball and I play the New South Wales Championships with your mum in mixed.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_04: It's hard to come across ladies back then.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_04: And uh Katie and I still did well, but you came along, she was still you're working full-time at that time, and then you're like, wow, you should get back into it.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_04: You're like, geezy Varon's doing alright, I must be you could do well too.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and it's been great.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_04: Like, look how much you've done for the sport ever since.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_04: So I think it's been really awesome.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_04: Like, what's one of your biggest moments so far, do you think?
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_02: Uh one of the biggest moments?
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_02: I I feel like I have I have a few, but I'd say what what maybe one of my like biggest achievements that I'm most proud of is um triple crowning, the PPA.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_02: And that was when the MLP stuff happened in in New Zealand.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I think I think I'm the only guy to you know to have done it.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm really happy with that.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_02: But uh in terms of like other big achievements, I'd have to say just like playing in the States at like a really high level, playing against the best players.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think that's like an achievement in itself, like going over there, qualifying, making rounds to play those best players.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um for me that's kind of like what my whole career is about.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_02: Just uh coming from Australia, it's like we don't get to play at that level all the time.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_02: So it's like we try and build up as well as we can over here uh with our limited resources, and then go over there and test ourselves out against the best players.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, that's like probably the funnest thing for me about pickleball.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_04: Like, what's your biggest win then?
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, biggest.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, it might have come recently.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_02: Like Tama's like a top 15 or top 12 like singles player.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_02: So I mean that that that was a good run for me in uh Tokyo PPA.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um you made the final, didn't you?
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_02: Beat Zayn Avertil first round, Tama second, NASA, and then lost to Jack in the finals.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I was pretty happy with that.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, somehow like my singles is uh getting results in Asia, so I'm happy.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_04: There you go.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_04: And you've had really good results in Australia too, and I know you're trying it.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_04: And and I know you're trying this year too.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_04: Like it is tough.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_04: There's some really good Australian singles players.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_02: That's actually another thing I wanted to touch on.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_02: Like now that the sport's growing so much, uh, and playing a lot in Asia was just in the US for MLP, and then playing in Australia, and like what people probably don't realize is like traveling all these places, all the behind-the-scenes stuff.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_02: Like, we have events back to back pretty much, like week after week.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_02: And in Asia we use like a YOLO ball.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_02: Sometimes it's in the humidity over there or on pickle roll.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_02: In the States, they have like really nice courts, but they use a lifetime, and it's so much faster.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_02: And then coming from the States back here, where it's like a Franklin bowl, you're a little jet lagged, and so many things going on.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_02: And I feel like some people watch and they're like, oh, you know, this is probably what the results should be, but there's so many things going on behind the scenes where it's like uh, you know, there's some struggles here and there to like keep up with everything, but I mean it's part of the process.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_02: I I think it's really fun, but uh it's also learning how to like manage everything.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_04: Well, um, Joey, what's your proudest moment?
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_04: You've had a lot of big moments.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, I would say number one would be uh early on, I guess it would have been in like 2019.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: I played a like like a lower pro event in Texas with my younger sister and won it.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: So that was uh kind of fun because she's never played.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: Never played.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: She was tennis player.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um convinced her to convince her to play, and she carried me to a to a win.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: She carried you.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for sure.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: She just hit every ball as hard as she could at the girl and worked out.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um so that was probably that.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_01: And then next would be uh, you know, kind of reaching number one in the world at some point, being able to beat the number one team in the world multiple times, stuff like that, uh, throughout these last eight years.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um so yeah, that would uh definitely be my biggest like achievement or like happiest moments on court.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_04: Cool.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_04: Like who have been your like how many partnerships have you had?
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_04: Like who's been your top five biggest names that you've played pickleball with?
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: I played pickleball with.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_01: So I played with Ben for a couple of years.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: Played with that's pretty impressive.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: Played with Catherine Parento for like four or five years.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um I've played with Riley Newman, uh, played with Tyson, Matt Wright, uh, kind of a lot of those like OG players, you know, when we all started together, uh, got to play some with JW, got to play a little bit with Dylan Frazier early on when he was first starting.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um so yeah, just uh Annalie and and Lee Waters himself, the mom was amazing.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_04: Um playing with both goats, that's impressive.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it's been that's crazy.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, all those people are still doing so well after all that time.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_02: It's like they're killing it.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, so a lot of good players that I've been fortunate to be around and uh be a part of like in this pickleball journey, and then obviously they've impacted my pickleball journey quite a bit.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, well just to add on to that, like one of our my favorite partnerships was last year playing MLP with you so for the Melbourne Mavericks, now the Melbourne Thunder.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_04: So that's been for a buck at least for me was playing with you, and I've been able to play with Rob Cassidy and Where's Gabrielson, all these OGs that have done so much for the sport.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_04: Because uh I think that I've done a lot for in Australia, but then there's some of you that have done it globally, which is really impressive and for a very long time.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_04: So you should be very proud of that.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and yeah, it's right up there for me as a memory.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_04: Um, like I guess for both of you as well, like who's had the biggest influence?
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_04: Or is there a couple of people that have had the biggest influence on you in pickleball, or maybe life in general?
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: Mine would probably be like, I think Simone Jardim was a big part of it.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um obviously we started together and then like moving away from Michigan, she moved to Florida.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: I moved to Arizona for pickleball.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: That was the first time that we got away from tennis together.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um and just kept in touch all these years and kind of helped each other find like when we were there was no PPA, no APP that trying to figure out how to make money in pickleball with like doing clinics and traveling around the country and stuff like that, and then a little bit uh around the world early on.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I'd say her and then obviously Ben.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, can't learn any better technique, better mindfulness on court than from the goat himself, where yeah, just how he thinks and the little things he sees that people kind of either push aside or never see um and how important it is and why he's just yeah, a different level.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_03: Is that is there a standout sort of thing that you picked up from from Ben?
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, his his biggest thing was like he is very good, and people say like why doesn't he play more aggressive and stuff like that?
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: They kind of sometimes they'll see him play aggressive, sometimes they'll see him play more passive, at least it looks like, as far as but he takes a lot of court, so that's where the pressure that he puts.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: But his thing was always like uh about percentages, right?
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: He wanted to he could wait and felt comfortable waiting in dinks or in longer rallies until the percentages were right for him to be ahead to attack, right?
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: Against a lower level player that what maybe wasn't as good or wasn't quite five five, then he was the percentages could be higher with him taking riskier shots.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_01: He's playing, you know, Al Shon or some of these better players now.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: That's not the case until it's a certain ball, and his ability to just wait and pick the right shot.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_01: That's what makes him look just like he's walking in a park when he's playing.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, no, like I've noticed like he's maybe a little bit more passive when he plays in Asia, like a new ball, new surf is different conditions.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_04: But then you see in the US he's just massive and he knows those players, so he can play big and he knows where their weaknesses are.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_04: Well, in Asia, like everyone's a brand new player.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_04: Like I guess for you guys, like obviously Australia we've got quite a few pros, but obviously Asia too's got a huge amount of pros and top level.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_04: Like, do you find it hard going international playing in Asia compared to here or the US?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um, yeah, well, I I kind of just find like adapting to the conditions maybe the toughest, but uh I kind of kind of find it like really refreshing playing new players, uh people that don't know your game as much, and then you can kind of go out there with less expectations and more like trying to figure out what works, what doesn't work.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, so probably just more the uh environment, like getting used to how humid it is or how fast the courts are or what ball you're using.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_02: Uh but no, I I like playing new players.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, cool.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_04: Um did you talk about who My influence?
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, your influence?
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I I was thinking about it, and it's a bit of a I I guess funny question for me because um obviously like so many people have helped me throughout my journey and career and stuff.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um probably too many to name, but they've been like little steps along the way.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um uh I guess it's kind of like being from Sydney, I feel a little more excluded.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_02: Like we don't have really like that many coaches or like uh real like pro full-time players besides myself.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um but I did think of one, and that would probably be Ryan Henry, which is funny because I kind of got him into pickleball.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: But um since he's gotten into pickleball, I feel like he's become obsessed with it.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_02: And he he actually manages uh Voyager um tennis center, so he he's been a big part of my pickleball journey because he converted like the basketball court at the at the tennis courts into four pickleball courts.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_02: Originally they're just lined up, we got the temp nets out, and he was just hitting with me all the time uh while he was getting into it, and then um yeah, he really saw the value of pickleball, so uh he turned them into purpose-built courts, and now yeah, he he did that again at another venue, and it's just made uh my life easier to train, to play more, having him as like a hitting partner and um and also like playing some events with him and uh yeah, just having the facilities to train at.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_04: The speed up on the right, deadly by Ryan.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, like if you can handle Ryan's speed up from the right side, you can handle anyone.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_02: So I mean, Ryan is so good at uh, you know, a few things in particular, so yeah, like the that thing, especially the speed up from the right.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_02: I just give him some dinks and he's speeding up at me, and I'm trying to figure it out.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_02: So he's uh yeah, he's also a wealth of knowledge, like he really analyzes a game and he tries to learn as much as he can.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_02: So it's good for me, like playing all the time to also have like a mind behind the scenes, like thinking of everything.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_02: He'll like analyze some of my games for me as well.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_02: So uh yeah, huge influence.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_04: Well, I mean, he was a pro tennis player beforehand.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I don't know what his highest ranking was in tennis for doubles, but I know when we played the Redcliff PPA, he had like a little notebook we had dinner the night before, and he was writing out stuff like what we should start doing, like what's some stuff that has high percentage, which is all the cerebral stuff that like Ben probably does and Joey and and all the top pros, like that's how you get to the top.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_04: It isn't just the skill level and your practice, it's like you've got to think about the game as well, which I think that's someone like Ryan that's why he's kind of got into the game really quickly and done really well.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_02: And he he's he barely plays now now.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_02: He barely plays, he's got young kids.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, you know, some injuries popping up, but when he plays, like he he knows how to play.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_02: So and it really tells.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and shout out to Betty too, Mitch's fiance.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_04: I assume she's been a big influence on his life as well.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_02: So we're gonna help him out there.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_02: She's a huge influence on my overall life.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: I thought we were going more pickleball specifically.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_04: Ellie is mine as well.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_04: Um we've got our weddings one week apart next year in March.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_02: But in terms of like, yeah, I I obviously couldn't be doing anything uh like this without her.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, she's a huge support.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_02: I I just spent the last three weeks.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_02: We're in like Tokyo, um, Michigan, and now here.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um, she's coming to the Singapore event next week.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_02: So but still, it's like with all the travel, like she's gotta, you know, do her job and everything, and um I guess just like do everything at home without me sometimes because I'm I'm on the road, but uh yeah, it always makes it sweeter going back home and having you know a nice little base to come back to and everything.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_02: And um, yeah, her support um for me like pursuing this career is really, really supportive.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_04: Well, how do you guys both go with all the travel?
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I know you probably haven't been back home for a long time.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_04: I know I struggle with that.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_04: Like I watched all these Instagram stories and you guys traveling, like you were in what Beijing, Japan, um, you're gonna what Singapore next week, you here in Melbourne, like Ellie would cry if I was away that much.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so like for both of you, like what is that hard being away from home so much?
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_04: And what uh kind of gets you through those moments?
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, you definitely have to enjoy it to be able to do it, right?
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's like once you lose that enjoyment, it does become more of like a chore to go and like pack your suitcase and then leave and all that good stuff, and then having a big support system, right?
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: Whether it's uh person back home, whether it's a team around you that you kind of travel with, um, and then obviously friends that you make along the way in all these countries now that just from picklewall being such a kind of uniter of people.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so yeah, I have friends now in Malaysia and Vietnam and stuff like that.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: So when I travel, I get to see some people and Australia, um, of course, obviously.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: And uh yeah, it's just that kind of camaraderie kind of helps ease the not being back home for me now.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: It's about probably been about a year that it's since I've been back home.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_04: You know, I guess my biggest question for you, because I probably haven't asked you properly, is well, why did you want to come and play in Australia?
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_04: Like, what interests you about MLP Australia and being picked by some random bloke called Aaron Bliss to play MLP and carry him to some wins?
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um I mean, I think it was part of that I wanted to see where pickleball in Australia had kind of gone from when I had first come out here.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: I'd been hearing some things, I'd uh kept in touch with Ben Coston um a little bit and you know, saw some of the players that he was working with.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: And um yeah, just Mike Newell was uh another contact that I'm not from the first time I was here, and he had kind of mentioned, you know, what are my thoughts about coming out here and playing MLP.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: And um I know Kyle Yates had come out the year before, Roe Minister um came out here the year before and Wes and Yeah, exactly.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: Wes, Cassidy, and they all just you know loved it and said that it's yeah, you have to do it.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_01: So went ahead and jumped in the waters and I've haven't left.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_04: Because I think we spoke about it, and you you thought you were getting picked by another team, and then you're probably like, Why the heck am I on the Melbourne Matteries?
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but we had a lot of fun.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_04: Who is his eran guy?
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_04: But we had some great wins, and like I mean, we made to win MLP final, which was pretty impressive.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_04: Beat Jack Wong and George Wall four times, or was it just once, once but uh I was 10% of that, Joey did the rest, and he had a really bad back that event too.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_02: We had some good wins.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_02: Like uh physically and not just precaring.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_04: But like we what we had Kent and Miyoshi and all that too, we beat, and yeah, I mean, yeah, weightston's stuff.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_04: The guys were definitely a force.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah, lost against Max and Louie.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we beat them too, that um MLP finals the end of last year.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_04: They lost one men's match that whole final series, and that was against us, which is crazy.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_02: But we we could have used that men's win.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_02: Uh yeah, we lost them.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_04: We were two zip up as well, and uh unfortunately just couldn't get a knockout Bondi who took it all out, and then ended up you guys beat him in the next round, but then they got back into it.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, silly backdraw stuff.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_02: Came around, won the whole event after we beat them in the quarters or something, second round, whatever it was.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_02: So it's the way it goes sometimes.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_04: There you go.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_04: All right, my biggest question for you guys is what's your craziest pickleball story?
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know, Joey's probably got a lot because I know we've spoken, we love a beer at some of these events, and I know you've probably had a lot of beers with a lot of these players that we all know and love and watch on the PPA tour.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_04: What's your craziest story?
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna stay away from the beer side of it for now.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: I would say one of the funniest ones was there was a guy named Zayn Affleck, uh kind of a wild card in Pickleball at the time.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: He's got a lot of stories about him.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um never knew what he was gonna do, and we always call it that he was kind of sponsored by the players because he would just grab paddles from players' bags and/or like we'd give him paddles, and he would take you know 12 different paddles to the court and play a match.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: I was playing with a guy named Tim Nelson in Atlanta, and Tim came up with the nasty Nelson.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: A bunch of other rules in pickleball were because of him.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_01: He liked to push the envelope a little bit in ways that uh yeah, unique.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_01: And Zane came up to me and said, We're playing you guys next round, and I'm gonna nasty Nelson Tim.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_01: Don't tell him.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, I won't tell him, but there's no way you'll do it.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_01: And sure enough, he takes one of his paddles, 13 paddles, leads it up to I think he said about 14 ounces, um and takes the first serve and nails Tim with it uh right in the side.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_04: Nasty Nelson was born.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_01: And uh he nasty Nelson, the inventor of the nasty Nelson.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: That's clean.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, I could and then he took that paddle, chunked it over the fence because he wasn't planning to play the match with it because it was third like much heavier, grabbed the new paddle from his bag, and we played the rest of that match.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_04: Wowie.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_04: No paddle testing back then.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_04: No, zero paddle testing back then.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_04: No stickers.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_04: Alright, Mitch, you got anything for us?
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, what's I don't know, pretty hard to follow that.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um and I think, yeah, when you when you ask about crazy stories, I'm like, I try and stay away from the crazy stuff.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I have a fiance at home, and like when I'm traveling, playing, I'm like just there to compete and everything.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_02: But um definitely on the road we have, you know, some some fun stuff happening, and uh I think yeah, thinking about it, like one of the funnest nights I had was um without getting like too into it as well.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um it was in Hanoi.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_02: Like obviously, my sponsor Faculus is from there, so we played Hanoi.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_02: I made a good singles run uh to the quarters, but um Gabe Tardio is obviously on the same team and he took out the men's dub, so uh Jessica like organized a night out for us, and it it was at some club, and um it's just super fun.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_02: Like they just had like bottles of champagne, and like they let us up on the uh on the DJ booth, like we were on the mics just like trying to get everyone rowdy.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um and yeah, I I think that's super fun.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_02: There's like Gabe, Hayden, uh Zach was there, JT, uh Tyra Black, and it was just like a super fun night.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we spoke about in the first episode about Gabe Tardio, because that was your ideal men's partner.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_04: And yes, I mean he loves to party, doesn't he?
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_04: Gabe Tardio.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_03: And what's your diet as well, right?
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_03: Like absolutely appalling diet for an athlete.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah, yeah, with the pizza and everything.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, him and uh Hayden are pretty funny.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_02: They're like, you know, just young guys that are like insanely talented, really good, and they just like to enjoy life as well, which is you know what it's all about.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_02: Like without being too strict into your career, you gotta enjoy it along the way for sure.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you're only the young ones, right?
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_03: So you gotta make the most of it.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_03: Which I'm curious because you guys have done a lot of travel over Asia, the US, and so on.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_03: Australia is obviously a few years behind in the pickleball scene.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_03: What do you notice as like the biggest differences in like that sort of lag between us and and overseas?
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I mean, I think probably it's the amount of facilities, right?
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: The amount of uh pickleball specific facilities.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_01: So like the US, we're lucky enough that a lot of the cities made a bunch of courts.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: So like you'll just walk up to a park and it has 16 beautiful courts and it's free, it's all that.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: And then we start seeing like in Asia, it's all uh entrepreneurs opening clubs and being able to um start that way.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: And we're slowly starting to see that build up here, just like the complex here.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's beautiful um to kind of see all these courts getting built, and I think that's how we get more and more players involved and them having social nights and different ways of getting people through these doors.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, I mean, pickle for real.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_04: We're hosting this podcast at is an Unreal facility, and there's so many in Victoria now.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I feel like Victoria's at the front end of that, which is really exciting, and there's hopefully gonna be more venues in Queensland and New South Wales.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I guess for you guys next, what's what's your biggest hot take when it comes to pickleball?
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, you go, you go.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_02: You have one.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_01: All right, biggest hot take is I think for pickleball to make the next like jump as far as like either viewership and bigger sponsors and stuff like that, I think we got to go to rally scoring.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it's rally scoring or some sort of maybe even tennis scoring, which would be even more unique.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but for like the casual viewer at a bar on Sunday scrolling through or seeing the TV even seeing pickleball and seeing 12 points go and then hearing the score 1-0-1.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I have no clue what's going on.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_01: They just lose interest, right?
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: So, but we also don't know if pickleball is just gonna be only viewed by people that want to play pickleball or just or that already play pickleball.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that's the you know, it's unfortunately pickleball's great and everything, but we're not that special as far as you know, volleyball, some of these other sports that were with badminton, where we got the scoring from, got to the Olympics after they switched to rally scoring.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_03: That's that's interesting, I think, because around the scoring, like I was running a little local community pickleball club, and you'd have new players come in and you'd teach them everything, and then they'd be like, I don't understand the scoring.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_03: And I'd say, Don't worry, like someone else on the court will know what they're doing, just focus on the rest of the play.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_03: And you'll get it later.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, like you'll just pick it up.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_03: And even then, like I had people, you know, two, three months in, and they're like, I still don't get it.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm like, if we had rally scoring, it would probably make it.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_03: They're like, Well, it can't help you if it's two to three months.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, exactly.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_02: You're on your own.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_02: What about you?
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, my hot take.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_02: You're not escaping this.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I'd say, because apparently I'm I'm a bit of a master at uh hitting net chords, uh, I've kind of got to the point where I'm like, you know, you don't need to apologize every time you hit a net chord.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_02: You know, like when I'm hitting a drive, when I'm when I'm going for a shot, like I'm trying to keep it as low as possible.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_02: If I miss in the net, I'm not gonna say sorry, or they're not gonna say sorry.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_02: Like, nice try.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but yeah, if I get it as low as possible and it does skim the net or something, it's like, okay, well, that's that's like a really fine margin, and I kind of uh I kind of got what I was going after.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, sorry, George George Wall, but I know he's not gonna like that one.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um he's he's copped a couple of net chords from me, but uh yeah, I I don't know.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_02: I think I think there is quite a lot of like apologizing for things, like whether it's like getting body bagged or net cords and stuff, and I think some, you know, maybe you can apologize for, like if you shank want to hit somebody in the face and and like you don't mean it, then yeah.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_02: Uh but I think if it's a good shot or something and like get somebody or hits a net cord, no need.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_04: Just do the hate and just go for the head or the chest, that's what he does over in the US?
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, like, yeah, I guess he intends to do it.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_02: So if he if he does hit his target, it's like, is he sorry?
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's it's kind of like a fake apology.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_02: So it's like if you're going for something and maybe gets a little lucky, but you you get your goal, it's like, yeah, no need to apologize.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_04: All right, one last question before we wrap up.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_04: Who's your ideal partner for men's and mixed?
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_04: Who were to like if you had a dream partner and you could just get them off the street or from the PPA, whatever tour, and you get to play an event with them, who would it be for men's and mixed?
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I'd half say Gabe Tardio.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_02: It's just a crazy good player.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, true.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_02: Jessica wouldn't want me saying anyone else, so Gabe Tardio.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_02: Jessica's the owner of Faculos, by the way, just if people don't get that.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um, yeah, and then I'd say female, maybe Anna Bright.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_04: That was mine too.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_02: You picked my combo.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly my combo.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_02: No way, bro.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_02: I was trying to be different.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_02: I thought everyone would have said the goat.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_02: Your basic basic.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_02: Oh my god.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_02: Can I change mine?
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_02: But then is it really your ideal?
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_02: I have to stick with it.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_02: That's it.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_02: There it is.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_02: Fair enough.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_02: Uh man.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_04: That I haven't played with.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_04: Well, it can be part someone you haven't played with or played with.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_04: Not all of us have played Benjong.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_01: No, ideal partner right now uh would probably be Andre Dayescu.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: I think just his temperament on court.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_01: Uh how intense he is, kind of like with his partner on the inside.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_01: Doesn't necessarily show it a whole lot.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: And just like that guy, it doesn't matter what the score is, where he could be on one leg, he's just gonna give it his all every time, and that's just incredible kind of person to have around you.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so that'd be my men's mixed.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_01: Mix is a tough one.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm gonna say Tyra Black.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_01: I think I think she would be a lot of fun.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_01: I think she's kind of always smiling on court, kind of like myself, but great defense.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, great defense.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_01: I can mess up like I always do, and she'll save it.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_01: So you're playing left or right with the that's her choice.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_01: Wherever she, yeah, wherever she wants me, I'll be out there.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, I think she'd be uh fun partner to be around.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_04: Cool.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_04: Any shout-outs you want to do before we uh wrap up?
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um well, yeah, I'll give another shout-out to my fiance.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_02: Getting married in March next year, so that's really exciting.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um and yeah, also my family, especially my parents, um, always supporting me no matter where I go.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_02: They're always watching my matches, sending me messages.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so yeah, they're the main ones.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um Gearbox, been with them for now eight years.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so yeah, they've without them, none of this really like pickleball stuff would be crazy.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_01: They got me a truck and RV at one point as part of my sponsorship package.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah, they've been incredible.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um Talia Saunders.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: Y'all will got that.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_01: Talia Saunders in the finals this Sunday for women's doubles.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_01: That's my girlfriend and gonna play mixed with her tomorrow.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_01: And um, who else?
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, like back home, all my friends and family, uh, my sisters uh wouldn't mind playing mixed with my little sister again, so that would be fun.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_01: And uh yeah.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_04: Perfect.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_04: All thanks being on the pod.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_04: I really appreciate you guys taking your time just to I guess share your knowledge and wisdom and and your stories, especially for our Australian viewers or international viewers.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_04: So thank you.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thanks for having us.