So Where Did I start & Why?
Living near East Lansing, Michigan and being a graduate of Michigan State University everyone knows the name Simone Jardim. Obviously the GOAT of pickleball! For years, I was encouraged to try the amazing sport of pickleball but timing was not right with kids in travel sports and the thought of playing a sport with a paddle and plastic ball was not very appealing. Fast forward to becoming an empty nester and bored with my current workouts, the CEO of our local facility dragged me out on the court and within 15 minutes, I was hooked! Within two weeks, I attempted my first local tourney as a 3.5 with the CEO in mixed and won my first match. We then proceeded to lose the next two getting knocked out of the tourney, but that was all it took to make me realize how much I missed competition. Thank you Corey Randall and all the amazing members at Court One!
I proceeded to to enter every local tournament I could drive to over the next year and a half. I did not stay long at 3.5 and moved to 4.0. I medaled in every tournament I entered in mixed and doubles gradually moving up to 5.0. Competing on the Senior Pro Tour was not even a thought since I did not have a racquet sports background and obviously had no clue what competition was like beyond Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio.
With a huge push from my husband, I decided to enter my first tourney in Punta Gorda, Florida at the Pickleplex and made the commitment to try it for a year. Of course I was NOT prepared for the level I would face and it was humbling to say the least. I definitely realized the phrase “paddle up” was used for a reason ….. yes I walked away with a few beauty marks! Nothing like the days of taking a softball off my body at 3rd base at MSU but definitely a reminder nonetheless!
Senior Pro was a business and with money on the line, there is no messing around! I went back to my mentality that if I was going to be successful, I was going to have to train like a “professional” athlete which meant drilling, playing, diet, exercise etc. I started putting in 6 days a week sessions with focus on all aspects of my game on and off the court. I had a lot of ground to make up! Unfortunately in Michigan once the snow flies, the indoor courts are very limited and my car commute on a dry day was generally 2 hours and 40 minutes. I am truly blessed with an amazing pickleball family that we played at a club regularly and we all pushed each other to get better. We recorded our games daily and then broke down our footwork, shot selections and overall play to improve! I would not be where I am without them! Thank you Dee Geelhood, Jason Parr, Tom Lin, Dan Murphy, Danny Cleary, Kris Draper, Jeff Solomon, Michele Kowalkowski, Dan Rabe to name a few!
My first year on the Senior Pro Tour was nothing but tears, sweat and hard work. Yes, I cried, but refused to give up. So you ask WHY would I continue to battle in Senior Pro without a racket sport background??!! Why would I spend so much money??!! Why would I go back to living on the road again and be away from my family??!! These are the main questions I was asked all the time. As a former D1 Athlete competing at the highest level of competition, I could not turn off the innate desire to compete! It fills that void in my life and it is a part of who I am and love to have those internal juices flowing again at a high level!
The Senior Pro Tour has not disappointed and has been nothing short of amazing. I continue to grow as a person and an athlete. My ceiling is high and please stay with me as I continue my journey!!