It’s a tale as old as time (or, you know, at least the last few years): Girl graduates from college and moves home. Girl gets bored at home and starts playing pickleball with her parents to pass the time. Girl actually *really* enjoys pickleball and makes all her friends learn so she always has a partner to play with once she moves out.
In this case, I am said girl, and pickleball has become my favorite way to stay active and social as a young professional—especially since there are free courts less than half a mile from my apartment.
By nature, I’m not a super competitive person, but something about pickleball (hint: it’s the only sport I’m actually good at) really brings out that “Eye of the Tiger” mentality in me. This means I’m always looking for a way to bring a new edge to my game—like this warm-up—so I can have an advantage on my “opponents,” aka my friends who really don’t care whether they win or lose as long as we can hit the brewery next door after the game is over.