I had a what I would describe as a rollercoaster ride of a weekend, which is pretty typical these days for pro pickleball. I had a little breakthrough in singles reaching my first semifinals in quite some time and battling thru a couple of strong opponents in 3-game matches, eventually losing to Chris Haworth in two competitive games. He was just too good and I definitely think the argument could be made that he is the best singles player in the world right now. He plays like he has strings on his paddle with amazing, dipping passing shots and incredible precision. He also surprisingly enough does not use the Mod or Gearbox so kudos to him for not using what I would consider an unfair advantage especially in singles. I came up just short in the bronze match against Jack Foster having had the lead 13–11 in the third game (we play 2/3 games to 15, rally scoring in singles at the APP events). He is always tough to play because of his huge serve, quickness and athleticism. In mixed, I partnered up with Daria for our first event and we lost early, but then battled to the finals of the backdraw coming up just short in our last match. Doubles was brutal as we were up 9-3 in the third game in total control in the quarterfinals and then blew our lead and lost 12-10. That one hurt.
I keep reminding myself that it’s more than just one match and more than just pickleball, but when you put a lot into it and battle hard those losses are always going to sting. So much so that I woke up in the middle of the night replaying some of the final points where I made errors in my mind over and over again. That’s always fun! After reflection, I know that it is thru those tough losses that we learn and hopefully become stronger. As my favorite guy Goggins always tells us, we only grow thru suffering; so bring it on and embrace it!
As I mentioned earlier tho, on a more positive note, the last day it warmed my heart watching my kids battle together in mixed and finishing on such a high note in their last match on the weekend. It was also awesome to have friends like Matt and Cantillon Endara there supporting them (and me!) and watching some of my senior pro favorites like David George “the Professor” and legend Scott Moore out there battling. It’s inspiring to watch guys still compete at such a high level at that age and I can only hope that will be me still out there one day. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - Pickleball is the greatest sport in the world for many reasons. I had a wise coach tell me once that sports isn’t about winning, it’s about the journey and those relationships we develop and the people we impact along the way. Like our amazing friends Eddie and Marina “Mo” Anderson that we got to spend so much time with this weekend as well.
Lastly, I want to thank all of the people like the APP staff that make this all possible for us to play this great sport for a living and give children like my kids the opportunity to see what their made of out there on the court. They also got to volunteer and help work at the tournament under the direction of Dawn Horan, who is one of the best in the business. I’m so grateful for the love that people like her have shown my children and the lessons they are learning along the way. They are absolutely priceless.
Next up for the DeHeart, Franklin Pickleball Family is Nationals in Mesa, AZ in about two weeks. Another opportunity to compete and grow. Onward!
— Ryler
(guest blogger)
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