Rowland Tegio giving tips to the new tennis players (photo by Sue Stephenson)
Sharlene Jerome
SunBird Tennis Club President and pickleball member J.D. Stephenson proposed an interesting and extremely engaging opportunity: a joint social between the clubs. The Pickleball Club was as into it as the Tennis Club. So, on Feb. 15 a joint, very symbiotic social was held. Pickleballers were encouraged to try tennis, and the Tennis Club was invited to try pickleball. As a result, our Tennis Club gained two new members: Patty Nevill and Brenda Adin. Recently, we also welcomed Gary Johnson and MaryBeth and Bob DeMatteo. The Tennis Club is alive and well!
The tennis portion of the social event was taught and hosted by Rowland Tegio and J.D. Stephenson, while Sue Stephenson led the pickleball action. Great job to all! As has always been the Tennis Club’s motto, “You are never too old to try a new sport,” both clubs proved that to be the case!
There are a lot of transferable skills that can help tennis players become good pickleball players, but there are specific adjustments we need to make to adapt to the unique aspects of pickleball.
• Adjusting to the Smaller Court: Tennis players need to adjust their footwork and positioning to move quickly within the confined space, especially at the net.
• Modified Strokes: The forehand and backhand strokes will need to be modified to adapt to the paddles and size of the ball. Tennis players will need to shorten their swings and avoid overhitting, which can be a common mistake.
• Learning the “Dink” Game: The “dink” is a soft, controlled shot that lands just over the net, which is an essential skill in pickleball, as touch and finesse are key!
• Focus on Soft Shots: Pickleball often requires softer shots, especially on serves and in the kitchen (non-volley zone). Learning to control spin, pace, and angle is critical.
• Mental Shift: Tennis often rewards power and athleticism, but pickleball emphasizes strategy, placement, and shot selection.
By adapting our mindset and fine-tuning our technique, tennis players can easily adapt to the game of pickleball and become quite proficient quite easily. Let’s do this! Game on!
Finally, the social event was such a success that both clubs agreed that this should be a more frequent way to socialize and strengthen our bond. This will most likely be a monthly occurrence when the clubs are in full swing (November through April). We hope to see more people engage in both sports and their respective courts.
In other news, Springfield hosted SunBird on Feb. 22, and we were victorious by a score of 14-8. Woo Hoo! Congrats to Jack Barber, Gil Gilliland, Brenda Kulick, and James Morgan who all secured two wins each.