Ok baddies - itās been a lot. I am writing this on my flight to California, and itās absolutely insane how go-go-go my last few weeks have been. I do wish the PPA schedule followed more of a 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off cadence so we could get into a rhythm at home, but hey, those decisions are above my pay grade, and I know how blessed I am.
The Queen of Mesaššļøš„š„
If you watch my vlogs on YouTube, you know that I have wanted to be the āqueenā of a tournament for some time, and in Mesa, Arizona, I finally did it! Hayden and I finally climbed the mountain, and while we remain 0-6 against Ben and Anna Leigh in decidersš , we are a cool 1-0 in matches that do not go the distance. And hey, Iāll take it!!!Ā No one beats us 7 times in a rowš¤!
If you want a deeper look at my week in Mesa, check out my vlog! Many people did tell me it was my best one yetā¦Ā
I couldnāt tell you the exact key to finally sealing the deal in Arizona in mixed, but I think Hayden and I had a calm we havenāt really had before against that team. I remained very stoic up until my third shot drob (drop/lob) on match point, but heyā¦ I did say I wasnāt going to miss a drop again on match point!!!Ā
Iāve long praised Haydenās ceiling, and perhaps scary for the competition is that my ceiling is improving as well. Iām becoming increasingly proficient out of the air in particular, and one advantage I will always have over Anna Leigh is that I am longer than her. Faster? Nah. More powerful? Nah. More agile? Nah. But longer I do have, and Iām doing what I can to take advantage of it.Ā
Iām very excited for whenever I next play Ben and Anna Leigh, and Iād imagine all of you guys are too. I think this is a matchup that will continue to develop and change and the chess game that will be played both within matches and between them will definitely tickle my brain in the best way. Hayden and I have already discussed the adjustments we think they will make. We have to keep earning that matchup but you already know Iām hungry for it! I expect a very aggressive Ben and AL the next time we face them.Ā
The Most Expensive Woman (or Man) in Pickleballš¤š°šø
For all the drama and content I made around being dropped from my MLP Team, the St Louis Shock, I did know that they intended to buy me back, but they did not guarantee it, at least not to me or any of my teammates. So I was still nervous going into draft day. I was lucky enough to be allowed into the BTS media room and recorded a really fun video of my live reactions to all of the bidding. If you want to watch me experience an absolute roller coaster of emotions and what it looks like in real time for your adrenaline receptors to become fried, itās worth a watch (or if you just want to watch it to see me tell Jim Kloss to f*** off, thatās valid tooš).
As Iāve said publicly, I wanted to end up back on the Shock but also would have played hard and given 1000% no matter which team I ended up drafted to. The 5s fought hard for me, and while being on that team would have been fun, Iām excited for the opportunity to compete against Anna Leigh and Jorja and to not have to pretend Iām super into counting to 5 repeatedly. Considering how loud my voice is, you guys are probably glad about that tooš.Ā
has anyone checked on the flash mob?
It goes without saying that Kate, Hayden, and Gabe are also some of my best friends in pickleball and I am glad to still be in our group chat. We have some unfinished business and I hope we are raising the trophy when everything is said and done this year. Iām also THRILLED we were able to draft John Lucian Goins and Elsie Hendershot as our bench players. Lucian is amazing at singles and I wouldnāt be surprised if he functions as a dreambreaker specialist for us.Ā
As soon as I was in the team Zoom room before the bench selections started, I asked if Elsie was still on the board (I hadnāt been following the draft and was editing my YT video like a madwoman LOL), and as soon as they said she was I was adamant that we had to have her even though ownership was unfamiliar with her. I think it is a huge miss that other teams passed on her. I have long been a fan of Elsie and her game. Of course, you can never know with certainty how a player will develop, but Elsieās mentality, maturity, movement, and skillset are, in my mind, those of a champion. Iāve avoided gassing her up to you guys simply because I wanted her on my teamāŗļøš. As much as I am an oversharer, I am also a competitor through and through.
me and elsie talking, she is so cute
Iām excited for the opportunity to practice and play with her. Both her and John were ecstatic to be on the Shock, and I canāt wait for the season to start. As soon as Gabe and Hayden leave their teens we go and draft two moreššš You have to acknowledge the humor in it.Ā
I joked in my video about the pressure of going for so much money and that I would have to play ālike Godā. In all honesty I donāt feel much pressure about any of that - what the Shock (or any team that took me) spent on me is not really my problem. If they donāt think Iām worth it at the end of the season, theyāre free to drop me. I will do my best to contribute to the team as positively as I can and will continue to be my chaotic, unhinged, open self, and if they think my contribution isnāt worth the cost and they want to let me walk, so be it! But until then, the jokes about being expensive will continueš¤·š½āāļø.
Still Crunchy - Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail with my Sisterš„¾ššÆāāļø
The reason I didnāt get a newsletter out to you guys after Mesa is because I was on a MAJOR time crunch at the start of the week. Iāve been planning a backpacking trip with my sister for a while that we were going to do Tuesday-Thursday, but my redeye home from Arizona on Sunday night got cancelled so I didnāt end up getting back home until late afternoon on Monday. Then, at home, I had to do some wrap-up Brighter Pickleball calls and, oh, I donāt know, get everything together before heading out into the wilderness for three days with my sister, who had absolutely no idea what she was doing. Her gear was actually comically cheapš.Ā
This was actually my first true backpacking trip since the Pacific Crest Trail, and it was great to get back out there. We did 62 miles in 3 days. My sister and I werenāt very close growing up, and getting closer with her in the last 6 months has been SUCH a gift, and doing this with her AND getting along the entire time was incredible. A younger version of me wouldnāt have thought this was possible, honestly.Ā
As I said in my Instagram caption where I shared some of the trip- pickleball is life, but life is not just pickleball. Even though the tournament schedule is a slog right now and I have a million things going on all the time, it was so great to do something that breaks the mold with someone I love dearly. Being a better sister is a priority for me this year, now I just have to find something cool to do with my other sister!!!Ā
Newport startsā¦ TOMORROW! Which is insane. This is my first year with such dedicated partners and while mixing around is fun, I canāt deny thereās a very fun feeling of ābuildingā when you repeatedly play with the same people. I just hope Anna Leigh and Hayden donāt get sick of me! See everyone on PickleballTV!!!Ā
As always, thank you for readingā¤ļø - your internet bestie, Anna XOXOš«¦āØā„ļø