Does Getting Better at Pickleball Make It Less Fun? + Connor Basnight | KC Pickleball Pro

This is a hill I would die on. Clapping when the plane lands. Like, listen, it's supposed to.

Yeah, I it's supposed to.

Come on, the pilot did his job. Yay! You're you're you're puppets out there. You nobody claps for me when I write you a ticket. I did my job. This is Big Dink Energy, the pickleball podcast that's half insight, half nonsense, and all entertainment. If you love pickleball, don't take yourself too seriously and think a little trash talk makes the game better. Welcome home. This is the place where life and pickleball intersect. We celebrate the chaos, call out the nonsense, and put the fun back in dysfunction. You're either in or you're out. And if you're still listening, you're in. So let's go. Big dink energy starts now. Romper Stomper, romper do. I see Stephanie and Paddle Princess. Yes, I do. We are all in our spaces with our sunshiny faces here at the Big Dink Energy Podcast, the official podcast of Pickleball. I'm bringing a heat today. And guess what? We are semi-pro over here. You know how I know because we have a sponsor. Listen up.

Sponsor Ad

If sweaty hands are messing with your grip, check out Swips. It's a sweatband you wear on your wrist with a hidden rosin insert. Mmm, I need that. Between points, give it a quick tap with your playing hand to help keep your grip dry. No digging through your bag for a towel for you. Uh-uh. You've got swips. It's right there when you need it. Head to swipsband.com, S W I P S band.com, and use code BDESWIPS20 for 20% off. SWIP tap. Grip play. Oh yeah. So let's get into it today. I thought we would talk

Kitchen Talk - Hot takes, weird news, and what’s on our minds this week

about social rules. We all know social rules. Social norms, if you will, even. Uh if you'll allow it. If you will allow it.

If you will.

If you will. Um social rules, social norms, social things we do socially that we all collectively do.

That we hate.

That we hate. Yes. And we want to get the F rid of.

Yes.

Things that like we shouldn't do this anymore, right? The un the unwritten rules that we're all following for some reason, and we're just frickin' done with them.

So I'm going to open up the gate with something. I I think everybody understands what an Irish goodbye is.

I love it. It's my favorite type of goodbye.

I am tired. I am tired of the social norm of saying bye to everybody if you're at an event.

Oh, and don't even if you're Texan, don't I mean that's a 30-minute goodbye.

Like I wanted to leave 30 minutes ago, but I had to walk the room.

Yeah. No.

Instead of just saying, bye y'all. Bye y'all. Let's leave.

So even that, even that is sometimes too much. I wait until the party is going, there's a crescendo, and I can sneak out. Sneak in. And then I'll get a text later. Did you leave? Yes, I did.

Yes, I did.

Because I didn't want to be able to do it.

Because it was 7:30 and I needed to go home. Sorry I'm late.

I didn't want to be here.

Yeah, so that's that would be definitely.

Just come out swinging like that. Okay, I like that. I like that. Uh for me. For me, the birthday song. What's wrong with my birthday song?

You're so old and you've heard it so many times.

That's true. That's true.

Uh how about piggybacking off of that? How about opening, like if you're at a big party, like opening your gifts in front of everybody?

Oh. Oh, yeah. I don't like that.

Like we need to be done with that. Like, I'll take a picture and tell you thank you later. Yeah. But I mean, I understand at kids' birthdays or whatever, unless it's like a big birthday. But if you're an adult, like we're not sitting around like watching you open gifts.

Yeah, I don't like that.

I want to I don't like being I don't know. I want to make you feel uncomfortable.

Because it's in like you open it and then like if you don't know what it is and everybody's staring at you, and then there's all this pressure, and then they're like, open it, there's more inside. You're like, oh my god, I don't know what this is, and then I feel like an idiot.

Is that an Apple iPod, Michael? Yeah, um, so yeah, I like that one. I like the gifts too. But the birthday song, I'm out. And we don't and in our birthday parties, we don't even sing it the right way.

No, we do not. We have a very interesting way of doing it. Okay. What is y'all's way? It doesn't make any sense in everybody pretty much.

We get the words like happy and birthday in there, but then we say other things about the person. At least I do.

Yeah, we say and you do the clap on the opposite beat.

No, no, no, we say random things and we sing in a it's a carcophony, I believe is the word, of just of just sounds. And sounds sounds in a in a general tone of birthday music.

Gotcha. On that, speaking, why do these all have to do with people? I don't know, but they bother me.

People bother me.

So, how about the feeling obligated saying, like, hey, we should get together sometime? No, we shouldn't. No.

Matter of fact, we're not.

Just say it was good to see you. Yeah. No, we're not.

Yeah.

I think we should get a get rid of it.

Yeah, that's one of the biggest lies we tell. Lies. That and uh you coming to the party? Yeah. Yeah.

Leaving by 7:30, though.

Yeah.

And just leaving.

You're gonna come to our conference? Sure. Sure am.

Okay. Sure am.

Another one for me. That one was kind of personal. A little personal? Another one for me saying bless you.

What?

Saying bless you.

Yeah.

Or God bless you, or anything when someone sneezes.

That is just polite, sir.

Why?

Because it is.

Are we worried the souls escape in your body still in this day and a- how about how about when it's like a big thing?

We have medical science that says no, like when Stephanie sneezes a gazillion times in a row, I just look at her and you have been blessed. And I walk away.

You get one.

Blessed you. I'll say blessed you, blessed you, and then you have been blessed. I'm not saying it anymore, but no, absolutely you should say blessed you when somebody sneezes.

Why don't we do it when people cough?

I say excuse me when I cough.

Yeah, but why don't I say bless you when someone coughs or cough?

Because originally when you sneezed.

It was because your soul was leaving your body and you wanted to.

Because they thought that your heart stopped when you sneezed, and so that that was a chance for your soul to leave your body and the evil spirits to enter your body. So that's why they would say bless you to protect your soul from the evil spirits coming in.

All y'all believe in that are the same people believing we landed on a moon.

But I still think that it's I still think it's polite to say bless you.

Yeah, you sneeze.

And sometimes when somebody coughs, I do say bless you, especially if it was like an intense cough.

No, no. It listen, if uh you sneeze, I don't I don't owe you a religious benediction.

Well, I will look at you and say, excuse me, you can say bless you.

Or a benefactor. Okay.

I will call you on a big one.

Miss Havisham.

Okay, here's my other one. Okay. And and I've already stopped doing this. Waiting until everybody gets their food before you can eat. Oh yeah. You know what? My fries are getting cold and like I'm hungry. So there's that. I do that. I make my children do that as well. Right. I know. I've always done that, but I'm not doing it anymore. You're done. I like my food hot. You can ask Guy. Like, I do not like my food to get cold. I don't like to eat cold food. Right. And so it's like they're bringing stuff out. It's I understand, like, the guy's right behind, you know. But if it's like, oh, we're waiting on your lobster heart of palm bullshit, then no, I'm gonna eat my fries.

Hey, then don't worry, because I'm gonna eat some of your fries.

They're hungry watching me. Don't order stupid shit. If you ordered just a hamburger, you'd be eating with me too.

Yeah, I'm having some of your fries just to let you know. If I'm waiting for my palm, whatever Sunday, my heart of palm Sunday.

My heart of palm Sunday. Oh my gosh. I don't know.

Sundays like that. Uh we've covered this before on the on the show, and this is just one I this is a hill I will die on. Clapping when the plane lands. Like, listen. It's supposed to.

Yeah, I agree.

It's supposed to. Come on, the pilot did his job. Yay!

I think that everyone is just so nervous on the plane that when like you're finally back on the ground, it's like, oh, thank God, I think we made it.

You're you're you're puppets out there. You nobody claps for me when I write you a ticket. I did my job.

Because no one wants that. Everyone wants to be back on the ground.

Well, okay, you don't clap when the Uber driver gets you to your destination.

Sometimes you do. Good God.

Yeah, well that that's uh if you're gonna do that, if you clap when the plane lands, clap when your Uber takes you somewhere.

How about you, paddle princess? I just clap for everybody. I feel like everybody needs to be. What's something that you think we should do away with? Overexplaining. So, like, for instance, like if you're gonna call into work because you're sick, hey, I'm sick, I can't come in today. Okay, I don't need picture proof. Like, I feel like I like if I tell you and I'm like, hey Steph, I'm sick, I can't come in today. I feel like you're just like, okay, like you're sick, you're an adult, you made that decision.

I don't know the same thing with like parties and stuff like that. Oh, I can't come.

If I'm sick, then I'm sick. If I can't come to a party, I can't come to a party.

Just no or yes should be simple enough.

Yeah, over-explaining, it's just I don't, I don't want to do it anymore. Like, I feel like I've done that my entire life. I've over-explained everything and I don't want to do it and I don't want to hear it anymore. I I agree with that one.

And I, you know what also I that kind of leads me to this one, which hugging people. Like, I just Oh, I'm a hugger. I'm gonna hug you. But like I I people sometimes are like, oh hi, and you're like, I I don't know.

Like, I've never even met. I get that. I get that. Like hugging uh just people that you've just now met. Right. But like if we've met a couple times and we're friendly, I'm gonna give you a hug of bye. No, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about people you just met.

Like, and people are like, Or you haven't, or you haven't seen for a while.

Yeah, like, oh, I'm a hugger, and I'm like, I'm not though. Like, you do not have my consent. Although I do, if people are like, oh, I'm a hugger, of course I hug people, but I mean that just that expectation. I think all these are just those expectations. And you know, I'm kind of on the fence about thank you cards for gifts. Like, remember when we got married and it was like you gotta do your thank you cards.

You gotta we sat there and did them all.

Right, and write them and all that.

And the first time I ever wrote a thank you note, it's just a legitimate.

I don't do thank you notes. I just tell people thank you. I I just think it's a waste of money.

It's oh, also, how about mailing Christmas cards? I like that.

No, I have done it in a gazillion years, but I love getting a Christmas card. I actually thought about doing them this year.

I might not be mad at the card. I'm mad at the letter of catching up for the year.

We did back before there was Facebook and all that, we did Christmas cards. But now it's like, dude, I see you and your family every day. Like, I don't need a Christmas card.

Cards are just for Hallmark. They're that that's they're just trying to keep Hallmark alive.

Like on birthdays and in special events, I like to give cards. We should do away with cards.

Oh, hot take. I don't should we do away with cards?

I mean, I remember when evites first came out and everybody was sending like email invitations, and that was a whole thing. Now I'm like, make a Facebook group, you're invited, click going or not going, done. Right, but I mean we don't need to go that far into it.

And I I'm torn because I love preserving like the uh the RSVP and the nice invitations and all of that, whatever you call that. I can't think of it. Like all the save the dates. What is that called? What do you mean? Not history, but tradition. Tradition, thank you. So I like that tradition. That's why I like the thank you cards because it was always like I remember my mom would be like, okay, well, I'll have the gift list, and when you open, I'll write down who gave it to you and what they got you so that you can write a thank you card. This is at birthday parties and stuff growing up.

Yeah.

But now I'm just like, is that even necessary? I don't know. I'm torn. I don't know.

Um, another one for me, and uh this is another hill I would die on, is uh tipping on to go or something I ordered at the county.

100% out. No. That that is that should have never made it into our social norm.

Don't flip it. Yeah, don't flip it around and say it's gonna ask you a question. You know what the frick it's asking me.

And then they turn their head like they're watching a nude movie.

Either that or you don't want to see my pin. I no, I'm telling you right now, it's zero. You can just ask me. It's zero. I remember being You handed me a bag, it's zero.

No, I remember being like 18 and I was a hostess at um like a pizza place. It was like a sports bar, and I used to get so excited when somebody would leave me like a dollar or two dollars. So I leave that for them. I think like I'll make I'll make somebody's day. You can have two bucks. I mean, it's not that big of a deal.

I I tip at, I will tell you, I tip at Dutch Bros. I tip at Seven Brew. I tip What are you tipping for?

The speed?

I most of the time is because it's hot here in Texas and they're walking out to your car.

Okay, okay, so you not at the window. The people the people walking out to your car.

It's so it just really depends. And Dutch Bros is really fast. They are, and Seven Brew is pretty fast too. I will tell you where I don't tip is where I don't go, and that's the other one with the mermaid.

Oh wow.

I don't tip, don't go, don't like it. Yes, guess which green side.

Guess which one guess which mermaid from Seattle we don't tip at.

But yeah, I I unless you want to sponsor us. I mean, waitresses and you know, something where they're like serving you. Yes, it's so different than I literally bagged my own lunch. Like, I don't know what I'm tipping you for. Yeah.

You yelled my name. Thank you. I'm not tipping you. I pick my own food up.

One more thing that I would like to retire is that being quiet automatically means that you're rude or you're upset. Like, I don't I hate that people automatically assume that about others. Like, oh, like she's just rude, like she doesn't want to talk to us. No, I'm just busy or I have other things on my mind. I'm having a hard day. It doesn't mean I'm rude, it doesn't mean I'm mad at you. There's just other things going on in my mind. I'm an adult and I'll let you know if I'm upset with you and there's something we need to work through. So maybe like the having to be socially on all the time. Right. Always having to have that that social bubbly, hi, how are you? How is your day? Well, when you're mid reading an email that is like, okay, this is a fire I need to put out, like, but you have to stop and be Miss Bubbly to everybody when you can't when like your brain is not there.

And I do it as a psychological trick because most people cannot let a silence stand by itself, especially if you're together with with a person. They will not let a silence just sit there. So people would just open up their mouth and say something just to just to fill the void. Yeah. And I don't like talking to people mo mostly, anyway.

I think my last one would be, and I this is it's gonna come off probably bad, but um like feeling like you have to buy a gift because somebody bought you a gift.

Oh, yeah.

Or like invite somebody to something because they invited you to something before.

Yeah, but I feel that way. Right. That's what I'm saying. I feel like I have to buy them a gift. That's what I'm saying.

That's a social norm that it doesn't, it shouldn't be that way. Right. You know, it's like if somebody buys you a gift, that's because they're wanting to do that. Right, not because they wanted something in return. In return, right?

No, I agree 100%. I don't think you should feel obligated. Exactly. And I think that people buy gifts because they well, I buy gifts because I enjoy giving them. Right. I would rather give all of the gifts at Christmas and birthdays than receive them just because I enjoy that. I like getting something for that.

And that's really kind of how our family operates is we're not really like birthday gift givers and things like that. Like we, if we find something and see something, we'll get that for that person just randomly, like throughout the year. Yeah, it's more about, you know, when you think about that person, that gift where you're like, oh shoot, they just got me something. Let me go run to Dollar Tree and buy something. Like, just don't, just don't. Yeah. Either do it because you feel it or just yeah, don't do it because you think you have to. Exactly. No, I agree.

Let us know what you think. Tell us what social rule or social norm or just social thing you want to cancel, you want to get rid of, you're done with. Or if you agree with us or disagree, just let us know. Get all up in the comments. Well, surprise, surprise, in the bottom of the mailbag, I found this from

Fan Mail (Shout Outs, Comments, Love)

Krista Savoy Clark. Krista says, You crack me up. I sure wish I was near you, gals, to play with. Way to go, Krista. I'm here too. I don't feel seen. Uh you make pick a ball what it should be, which is fun, all in caps, and four exclamation points. So she really means it. Thank you, Krista. We love it. And if you want to be read on the air live uh like I do, then get all up in our mailbag. Send us some mail. You can do it 24 hours a day at the electronic mail service, which is email or in any of our socials, you can comment there as well. We may or may not read it. I may just throw it away, depending on what you say.

Oh gosh. Just the tip. Just the tip. Quick pickleball wisdom in and out before you knew it. So

Just The Tip - Pickleball Wisdom

if your partner gets pulled wide, make sure you move. If your partner gets pulled way off the court chasing a ball, that's not your opportunity to stand there and admire their hustle. You have got to move over. They went wide, you need to cover middle. Otherwise, you're just leaving half a Texas open for the next ball.

Ludacris told you.

Just a test.

It's time for pickleback. Well, our

Pickle Pals - Deep Dive with a Pickleball Court, Club or Influencer

guest today is a 5.0 pickleball pro, a certified instructor, and the founder of one of Kansas City's premier pickleball companies. Here's the twist. Before pickleball, he had zero athletic background. None. Zero. Nothing. He was a landscaper who'd mowed yards and washed cars his whole life, and he built himself into a pro and a coach from absolute scratch, which might make him the perfect guy to teach the rest of us. Uh from Roland Park, Kansas, Connor Bass Knight on the Big Dink Energy Podcast. Thanks for being with us, Connor.

Yeah, I appreciate the opportunity.

Man, so I gotta ask, man, I'm I'm a solid 1.5, maybe 1.8 on a really good day. Um so how I mean, from zero athletic to 5.0, how what's that path look like?

I mean, I originally started just kind of as having fun. And I really just tell people I just happen to get really good. I didn't have a me when I first started 12 years ago. So it's kind of just learning, learning as I go, really. And now here we are.

And so when you say you didn't have a you, I mean, so that's just showing up the courts and just, you know, kind of just listening, right? Just uh showing up, I don't know, indoor outdoor courts and and looking at the people who are doing it really well and just kind of paying attention, or do you have sort uh any mentors in there?

Um, I did have a couple mentors a couple of years later, but back then there were no outdoor courts anywhere in Kansas City. So we I started on a gymnasium floor at the rec center by my house. And then, you know, chicken and pickle came around, and then more outdoor courts started to open up, and it just really kind of took off from there. And I honestly can't imagine playing on a gym floor nowadays.

Yeah, and you say that in in your social media and all the other places that, you know, not having that sports background makes you more relatable as a coach. Kind of unpack that for our listeners because a lot of our listeners are the rec players, the the ones showing up to the core, you know, when they can get there and trying to improve themselves. You know, tell me about that relatability and and how you connect to students like that.

I mean, my my favorite thing with the players that were like me, especially if you're older, is you know, building the confidence and you know, starting something brand new from scratch like this can be intimidating. So it's, you know, for me, it's about taking that intimidation away and letting people be active. And, you know, I wouldn't have a lot of friends if it wasn't for pickleball. So, you know, that aspect also is important for a lot of people.

Yeah, for sure. You know, the we talk about it all the time, just the the court themselves, you know, you'll have those ones or twos that are kind of the court jerks or the pickle richards as we call them. For the most part, the the rec players put their arms around new people right away. Like you they stick out, you can see them, a lot of timidity, they're you know, very a lot of trepidation there when you show up and you've done you've never done this before. I just absolutely love that about the pickleball community because I I feel it is so accessible for anybody at any point in their life. Do you have that same feeling?

Yeah, I mean, there's a few people like like you said, that you know, they think they're too good for their for everybody else. And you know, I'm a big proponent of I'll always remember where I came from. So there's times where I'll still go back and you know, I'll still see the people that I started playing with, you know, over a decade ago and they're always just still playing. They're not, you know, they haven't gotten a lot better, but it's fun to, you know, it's fun to get in games with and just bring it back full circle.

Yeah, that that's who I am. I'm the guy I show up, you know, sporadically and I just want to play and have a good time. And and sometimes I feel like, especially if we're we're doing scrambles or something, I sometimes the people playing with me as my partner probably don't like that side of me because they you know they're all about winning. Uh but man, I'm just there to have a really good time, and I think a lot of people are. So I I do want to encourage those people if you're listening to us and you haven't stepped on a court yet, or you still have that fear about stepping on a court, just get out there and step on a court. Who cares? You know what I mean? Just throw caution to the wind. You're gonna meet a lot of a lot of good people out there. Now, for you, Connor, was there a point where you know you started, you know, teaching or giving tips and then you're like, man, I'm I'm pretty good at this. I uh maybe I can turn this into something.

So I had a mentor. Her name, her name was Laura, Laura Fenton Covanda. She's a senior pro on pickleball. You know, she's owned a sports academy. She kind of mentored me as far as coaching. You know, once you get to the, you know, high, four, five, five, oh level, people that are not there, you know, they're, you know, always asking for little tips and things here and there. And, you know, I've had the opportunity to to be a part of a lot of different places currently, KC Pickle Club, as far as programming-wise. So, you know, I started at Elite Tennis and Wellness in 2021 as their kind of program director and got that off the ground for them, and the rest is kind of history.

A lot of our listeners also are over 40. You know, when you talk about you gotta help people get out of their own way, people are convinced, you know, I'm I'm that athletic. Well, you know, necess you don't necessarily need to be athletic for pickleball per se. When you talk about helping people get out of their own way, what's the first thing that you you you get with them and you and you partner with them and help them on that journey?

Yeah, I mean, my my my favorite thing is, you know, I hear a lot of I can't. And if you say I can't, you won't. And sometimes you do just have to have to get out there and try and, you know, have have you can have high hopes, but your expectations aren't low as far as. far as especially just starting, then you're gonna you're gonna only disappoint yourself.

Yeah. Yeah. Uh that's for sure. You know, uh I typically I go out there for me I set the bar very low. That way it's easy to step over and I look like I'm achieving something. So yeah, I tell people that all the time, you know, don't set that bar so high. You know, don't you know don't say, you know, I want to ace every serve. I I want to get an Ernie or or ATP or something like that. You know, let's let's dial it in just a little bit. And so I I would imagine there's some difficult conversations you have to have too when you first get in with a with a player and maybe they're not progressing as much as they think. How do you help that mindset when you're dealing with those type of players?

I mean I I recently kind of I had to go to the go through this myself a couple years ago. You know, I, you know, if we take Ben Johns, the best men's player in the world, and you know, I know what I could do to probably get to that level, but the work that they do doesn't sound fun to me. But I also can't have the expectation of playing at that level. So of course I'm gonna make more mistakes. I'm not gonna be as consistent as him. And it's important, you know, I when I work with people, they're always like, oh you know, I want to I want to be this good. Okay, well what is that what does that even look like? Like what is your goal for the sport? Do you want to get out there and have fun? Are you just in it for the exercise? Are you wanting to play in a 4.0 tournament in three months? Like we're getting really specific on what your goals are is usually what I start with and go from there.

Yeah and and I you know there's probably a huge mental aspect to the game too. Do you have any tips, you know, to help people in their mind sometimes or be in just be in the right mindset when they show up.

Yeah I so I recently read a book it's called The Inner Game of Tennis and it just talks about kind of getting out of your own way not not thinking so much on the court. You know, it's because once once you see something or you do something correctly you're technically not going to forget it. You just have to not think so much about, you know, and we get in our own head about not wanting to disappoint our partner or we we we we can't let this person beat us because they're not as good as us versus getting out there and just and just playing the game and just letting everything flow like it like it should.

Yeah I I think that's very important. You know my wife sometimes she'll be we'll be in a tournament and I I can almost pinpoint the exact time when she gets in her head. And it's usually when she's down by a couple and made foolish mistakes or stupid mistakes and she's right away in her head and that that's you know that's the time when I'm like hey tie your shoes or do something to to break that cycle and get out of your head. You know you and you you see a lot of different ranges as far as you know duper score or ages. Is there any commonality that you see where it's people are capping their game um and their enjoyment?

I mean I I work with a lot of people at a lot of different levels and I typically have to bring it back with with most of my players is you know why did you start playing pickleball? Because like for me, I'll play with anybody and everybody all levels, but I want to have fun. And unfortunately the better you get typically the less fun people start to have I think and so figuring out how much work you want to put into your game as far as off the court training or maybe changing your diet or instead of just you know playing five days a week you substitute two of those times for a lesson and a class or because just playing is not going to make you better.

Yeah absolutely you know we say here all the time you know you you want to be a Ferrari but yet you have Volkswagen brakes and you're putting regular gas inside your tank. Yeah. You're not getting Ferrari performance by by doing those things, you know, the rest, the diet all you know you have to kind of be dialed in when you want to get to that next level. It's not just showing up and getting the reps it's making sure you know your sleep is dialed in your food is dialed in and then your mental game is is dialed in. Now you had to have a lot of hustle when you were younger right washing cars, uh mowing lawns swap meets all that kind of stuff how does that factor into the hustle you have now?

Yeah I mean I'm still you know out there you know finding different opportunities to spread the world but to spread the love of pickleball that I have and I mean I'm I'm still doing a lot of those things that I was doing back then just maybe slightly different or less often, you know, because now pickleball is my full time gig whether that be teaching lessons or managing the club I'm always finding something to do.

So with D3 and and KC pickleball tell us kind of how do you balance right so you're 5.0 and like you said your that's your full time job now is pickleballing, you know, from lessons into playing and all that how do you how do you kind of manage that and make sure you're still having fun with that?

Yeah I mean like like I said earlier what what keeps me motivated is just the look on the people's face when they realize they can play this sport and they can be an athlete and I see that every day whether I'm talking to people that are checking in at the club for you know an open play or I'm actually on the court teaching a lesson but just seeing the love and the joy that pickleball brings people is what keeps me motivated to to continue to do what I do.

Yeah and you said earlier you know you wouldn't have any friends if it wasn't for pickleball and you also say on some of your social media pickleball is how we meet. How much of that carries into your lessons like even when you're teaching the higher levels, the 4.0s and above, do you still dial it back to you know the basics and let's make sure we're being good ambassadors out here in the court too?

Absolutely I mean I think that's the most important thing. I mean if pickleball is not welcoming it's not going to continue to grow and I I feel like that's why it is growing so fast is because it is a very it's an easily accessible sport. You don't have to be a X, you know, D1 athlete to start this game. And it's about just about bringing those types of people that didn't think they could do something and now they can.

Okay so give me a shout out the shout out you would give for pickleball in your area why do people what you know people are going to be traveling for the holidays maybe people are going to be thinking about where to go in the spring in the summer. So what's the pitch? Why do we come up to KC and why do we specifically come to your area? Is it food? Is it the courts is it the people you know give us the kind of elevator pitch of why we got to come to you.

Yeah I mean Kansas City despite it being a I would consider smaller market than some places, we'd have a lot of options. We have a a lot of indoor clubs we, you know Chicken and pickle their first location was here so we kind of have that as a destination case pickle club is you know is becoming a destination as well with the best courts in my opinion probably a little biased. Good food community is awesome and I mean I mean there's a there's a pickleball court at every park it's easy to find pickleball.

Yeah and pickle con is up in that area too up in that neck of the woods somewhere up there.

Yeah we actually just had that um in July and hopefully they stay in Kansas City I know it's kind of up in the air on whether or not they're gonna go somewhere else for the next couple years.

Now other I mean you guys have a lot going on up there other than barbecue obviously I'm in Texas so I can't say anything about your you guys have decent barbecue I'll say that as you go as you go past the Mississippi though and further east it does get worse. I just want to warn people about that so I mean you're all about people reinventing themselves at any age. I mean you came from zero sports background into a 5.0 pickleball pro now what did the paddle kind of teach you in your in your life and and what do you want to impart to people who are listening to this who are on a journey themselves?

I mean if you have to get out of your comfort zone even when you're trying something new even at my level you know I think sometimes that I should be better at other sports when I try them but I I have to bring myself back down to you know I'm just a beginner if I go and try to tick something else up. So it's you know it's just about getting out there, getting out of your comfort zone, being yourself, not being afraid to maybe let somebody down because at the end of the day if you let you should never worry about letting down as yourself. And you're gonna always do that if you don't get out there and try your best.

That's awesome. Connor thank you so much for being on the Big Dink Energy Podcast. Uh where's all the socials where people need to go to follow you and get some more information.

KC Pickleball Pro on Instagram Kansas City Pickle Club on Instagram is the club I'm at d3pickleball.com for if you are interested in any lessons or classes. I mean I'm kind of all over Kansas City so just look me up.

Awesome you guys listening right now go look up Connor he's great he's gonna give you all the tips and tricks that you need to be better and improve at pickleball and just be a better ambassador wherever you are in your life with pickleball. Connor again thanks for being on the Big Dink Energy podcast.

Of course thanks for the opportunity I love this game

Pick 6 ( 1 question and 6 answers)

show.

Pick six is where we take one question and we each bring two answers and immediately regret to this segment just like most of the podcast tonight's pick six is things everybody should experience exactly once just once no bucket list things you love stuff like that things where you're glad you did it and you never need to do that crap again.

Skydive oh I want to so bad you did it did it and I will never do it again.

I want to do it but everybody should yeah I would say having a horrible job you need to have a horrible job at some point in your life so that you can understand and respect the good parts of a good job.

Love that yeah any sandwich from a gas station eating it oh gosh I would not recommend that please don't oh okay um I would say 75 hard I haven't done that either yeah I'm not that dedicated I think everybody should do that or maybe something similar in their whatever you know I thought about starting that like about a month ago I was like I should do that.

No I I I'm good I like curling up in my bed. I'm gonna say something that scares you and then realizing you are capable of it the whole time. 75 hard? No I am not capable I'm too lazy I'm too lazy I'm not dedicated. I don't have the mental toughness.

Attending a surprise party that's for you.

Oh that's fine just once I had a surprise birthday weekend for my 40th. Yeah you did. And I had a surprise to prove it I do you do but you had COVID it was horrible.

My 40th was not a surprise but it was surprise where I woke up yes it was don't drink a full bottle of scotch word to the wise you learned that at 40? Yeah took me a while I got there though a little slow. Maybe drinking a full bottle of scotch I'll just tag that out as my third one. Yeah which is once it was expensive too.

Oh gosh news you can use

News You Can Use

live on the BDE news desk I'm Guy Beverage I'm gonna toss it over to you Stephanie okay so do y'all remember when everybody was opening up pickleball facilities and acting like they pretty much had discovered oil like they're everywhere. Apparently putting eight quarts in an old department store does not automatically make you a millionaire. What yeah the pickler is making headlines and not for another grand opening so this came close to where we are because Round Rock is close to where we are they closed earlier this month and we had been there a couple times and then a California franchise owner dropped the Pickler name and went independent and now their Birmingham location is closing too so there's reports of corporate layouts turn it into a toothbrush stand in Birmingham. There's uh reports of corporate layoffs and restructuring there are bankruptcy rumors floating around so not all of it's been confirmed but just to let you know according to their franchise disclosure opening one of these locations could require investing 1.25 million to two million. That's a lot of money to find out everybody in your town prefers to play at the park for free. I mean I've just got that laying around in my purse it's fine. I don't know if there was not some demographic studies or nothing the thing is is I don't know if we're watching like the pickleball bubble start to burst as much as we're watching people who jumped in without any forethought because a big facility with very high ceilings to air condition or heat it is something to be studied well prior to.

Well and and you know you both of you know is uh the hiring somebody is extremely difficult right now. We people have so many fallback plans to live with their mom and dad that they can just go try a job on like a like clothing and be like not for me and then they go back to living with mom and dad again. And so that I bet you that's part of their downfall other than the other part which is you have a lot of square footage that's not making money during hours of the day.

That and I I because I I do feel feel like they're very niche down. I could think of a hundred different things they could probably do during the day to offset that. But I also believe especially with franchise their systems are not really built on community. Yeah like they systems are great for certain things but you know you can't just be black and white and expect to build a community. There's a lot that needs to go into that and I I feel like it was you know they all have their same open plays their same this everything is done the same they look the same and it doesn't leave any room for I don't I don't know like that creativeness. And I think some of the the smaller pickleball clubs that maybe have three quarts four quarts and it's uh a personal individual that that built it they bring their personality to it but you know the pickler in general I'm not saying that it's bad but it's very um commercialized it's commercialized and it's like it's almost it's almost sanitary.

Yes there's no flavor.

Right there's just no personality to it's not a heart connection to it. You don't have that camaraderie you don't have that feeling of belonging like this is my home court.

Right absolutely so I don't know if that has to do with it but I well yeah and it's gonna be different on the different parts of the country too like you said Birmingham I could see one uh you know a pickler up in New England states is gonna be different than Birmingham than Texas California's gonna be different I get that up in the the northern area that where it snows like you can't go play at the park.

Right you know now here in Texas we it's hot as hell but we can still go like you can't go if it's eight feet under snow. Right. Right you know so having those indoor courts are really nice and it's a necessity. However you don't need 20 courts to start you know some people don't know how to work in phases or they just go balls in and then go balls to the wall let's go you just know I have 28 foot ceilings in my gym so I know what it's cost to to to do that to heat it to cool it you know especially in Texas.

So you know a a big place like that I just don't know if they have the staffing and the funds to yeah a lot of it had to probably do with staffing and then you know I I guarantee you Pickler their contracts were written so your money's tied up for a little bit I'm concerned about those franchisee people and and you know the other thing is I I don't think the boom is quite here yet because we haven't hit the Olympics who knows when that's going to happen because pickleball can't get out of its own way and make any decisions that are in its best interest.

Yeah.

But when that hits uh you'll see it like like the gymnastics center see it every every time there's Summer Olympics you know there's always a there's always a boom in gymnastics.

Yeah but I think unless you're in I and I don't even know if that's the case a bigger city but I know when we were building our gym I mean we started with 2000 square feet then we moved to 1000 square feet then we moved to 1500 square feet over time when you can see okay this is going to work right but I think when you just I mean this happened in Waco with another one I'm not talking about the pickler but just another one where it was like you know we saw them opening up and he's like oh we've got 14 courts and I'm thinking holy shit like this was the only indoor facility in this area and w Waco should have been a good enough market to make it but oh absolutely there's no reason why they should take over a warehouse and then he said when I was talking to him he said yeah we're gonna have to put the whole air conditioning system and I'm like you are going to be under and you're renting and you're renting I'm like oh my gosh I was like I and then of course eight months later it was gone under yeah I think business wise people just they need to consider all aspects and not just like I like pickleball you know I always say like people don't open McDonald's because they love hamburgers. They love business. Right. So I think that maybe if you are a coach or something like that and you love pickleball and you have the funds to invest, make sure you get with somebody that is business minded and understands operations and things like that before you just go in with a personality and try to run a business.

Yeah get some strategy and tactics. For sure that's it for this episode unless you've got something to say think we got it wrong have a better take we want to hear it. Find us at bdepodcast.com or at bdepodcast on the social. Drop us a message

Wrap-Up & CTA - Final thoughts, shoutouts, and how to engage with us

we might just speak to you in the next episode. If you had a good time well staying to it if not maybe try again people until you know the deal follow the show tell a friend and leave us a review or just pretend this never happened. Until next time keep the dinks top and the energy big we don't want to say bless you to people