Episode 4 | Rachel & Jose — From Service to Veteran, Finding Purpose Through Pickleball

Episode 4 of No Neutral: Veterans in Motion brings a unique perspective — two leaders at different stages of service, connected through competition, purpose, and community.

Rachel, currently serving in the Army while attending medical school, and Jose, a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, share their journeys from military service into the fast-growing world of pickleball. From elite performance and high-pressure careers to finding balance through sport, both embody what it means to stay in motion after — and during — service.

This episode dives into:

•  Transitioning identity from military to personal mission 
•  The role of sport in mental health and stress management 
•  How competition builds connection across generations 
•  Why pickleball is becoming one of the most accessible “front door” environments for veterans 

From medical school and active duty to coaching, recovery, and high-level competition — this conversation shows how purpose doesn’t end with service. It evolves.

Because at OVN — there is No Neutral.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Welcome everyone to another episode of the No New Troll Podcast. I am your host, Taylor. Today is a very special episode. If you're watching on YouTube, you'll probably figure that out. But it is the first time I've had two guests at the same time. Not only that, it's the first episode with two different officers, and they play a completely different sport that is growing incredibly fast. And I can see why. They both play pickleball. Joining me today are Jose and Rachel. Hi everyone. So both of you have uh Jose, I'm assuming you've already retired. Yes. And Rachel, you're just essentially beginning your career.

SPEAKER_03 0:56

Yes, just getting started.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

So completely different ends of the spectrum where I'm in the middle at past the halfway point. Rachel, I'll start with you. What made you decide to join? And also, I'm not even sure how old you are. You could be 26, so you could be, you know, normal age to join.

SPEAKER_03 1:20

I just turned 28 uh and I joined four years ago when I started medical school. They have a program called the Health Profession Scholarship Program or HPSP. So basically you commission in as a 01 and you remain an 01 throughout medical school. And then upon graduation and starting residency, I'll become a captain in an 03. So as far as joining the military, I kind of always knew that I wanted to serve, but I also knew that I wanted to go to medical school. And so when I learned about this uh unique opportunity, I immediately applied right away. Um and I was super excited to join the army.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

That's that's super cool. So I'm assuming you're basically ROTC right now, up until you commission and then active duty, reserve, guard, which uh which round is it?

SPEAKER_03 2:13

Well, I actually commissioned in 2022. Uh I went through all that. Yeah. And I've been reserves for the last four years technically. We do little bits of active duty here and there, but mostly reserves. And then come um June. So literally in like two months, I'll become um active duty and and promote to O3.

SPEAKER_00 2:31

Oh, that's cool. I I didn't realize how that program worked. Because I'm I'm more used to dealing with the ROTC program in the guard where you'll see the cadets, they haven't finished school. Obviously, your programs can get a little bit different because you've got a degree already. You're just doing extra degrees.

SPEAKER_03 2:48

Right. Yeah, it's definitely a unique program, and not a lot of people are familiar with it.

SPEAKER_00 2:53

No, that's a really cool program. I I like that a lot. I wondered how they grabbed, you know, medical personnel who could go off and start their own practice or you know work at a hospital, things like that. That that makes sense.

SPEAKER_03 3:08

So yeah, so I do the four years of medical school, and then I do residency, which for me is four years, and then after that's completed, I owe four years back um to the to the army. So once those eight years are done, I can technically um get out at that point and continue my medical career outside as well. So lots of options, and I'm just getting started.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

No, that's really cool. Jose, I think uh you're also in the medical field or were, right?

SPEAKER_02 3:38

Yes, mine's a mine's a little bit different. So um, so I did my pre-med, that was uh in biology. Um, I'm originally from Southern California. I got a tennis scholarship all the way to South Carolina, which is a little bit different than Southern California. And uh I did my pre-med stuff there. And so I was also going to medical school. Uh and uh right upon that decision, even doing all the requirements and so forth, and even picked a couple of places that I wanted to go, uh, I decided if that's what I wanted to go do right then. Um, talking to my dad who was uh enlisted in the Air Force, he was senior master sergeant. Um he said that uh this discussion on whether I should go or not, or if that's what I really wanted to do, and how much time that would take, and if I would have family time, all those things that go on in the head. And he said, Hey, you have your you have your degree, so you can become an officer if you want. And I'm like, I don't even know what that means, because he never talked about it. Like we were on bases our whole life, and he just kept that separate part away. So, three ways to become an officer, by the way, for those who don't know. So um, there's a Ratsi way, which I think you guys talked about. The Air Force Academy. Um, once you graduate, uh as soon as you graduate, you're two things. You get your degree and you become an you become commissioned right then. So you'll see a lot of officers that way. The third way, which I did, is called OTS, Officer Training School. You'll hear it as OCS in other things. So that means after I got my degree, I put in an application so forth, wait for me to come. Uh, once I go through officer training school, which is in good old Montgomery, Alabama, um, you go there and you uh after you're done with your school. Mine was four months. Over time, it's either shrunk, I don't think it's gotten longer, but little by little. And so after those four years, then I became an officer. And I left that open because unlike Rachel, uh, there's also a program where you can still get into medical school after you're you're commissioned. So there's still chance, same thing, you still have to apply, whatever. Uh, the only thing there is that once you're assigned what's called an AFSC or an MOS, once you're assigned that, now they kind of got uh hold of you and they got to be able to release you to do what's called a special duty. And this is one of those special duties. If you're now me, I was in space and missiles. And uh once I became a missileer at first, they were pretty uh low on all numbers, as you can imagine, whatever. So uh they kept a hold of me. So, but I still kept doing like uh medical stuff, whatever, uh phlebotomy, this and that, so forth, and whatever. So I never really got into the medical field that way, that way. Um, but then I just started doing other stuff too, on top of it.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

So no, I can see uh missile job requiring, you know, somebody who not only is high speed, but also high intelligence because of you know the it's rocket science essentially.

SPEAKER_02 6:52

It it is. It was t uh I would tell you what, you think uh I was gonna say like medical school or passing the bar or anything like that. So um you have to take certain tests every every month, four tests, and they all have to be hundreds all the time. So obviously in that profession, you you can't make a mistake, whatever. So yeah, so people are uh highly high intelligent and a lot of training and so forth that you can imagine going on and so forth. Uh I'll just go from there to the space side. So uh when I was there, it was still one AFSC together. It was space and missiles. So after my space uh after my missile time was in Cheyenne, Wyoming, uh up at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, uh, I was supposed to go to back to to teach. So I was real excited because I got I got to go back to California, to Vandenberg, which is in Lompoque, right there on the coast, Central Coast. And then one day uh I did not get anything saying I was going anywhere. So I went to go visit my commander, and he said, sit down, Rev. And I was like, okay. And he's like called and he's like, Yeah, I got one of my guys going to the schoolhouse, and they're like, No, he's going to Shrever Air Force Base. And then wife are going to Shrever Air Force Base. And I'm like, I don't even know what he's talking about. Shrever Air Force Base is in Colorado Springs, and it's a space base, and that's where we do a lot of the space operations from there, uh C2 operations, command and control. And I was put into uh GPS operations. So that was my first uh satellite system that I that I worked on, which was awesome because we're talking about more technical stuff and more really dorky stuff, which I enjoy thoroughly, whatever. That was that was a perfect fit. So um that's where I started my first space. And after that, a lot of different constellations after that, a little bit of the green stuff, squirrely stuff, whatever. All of it's fun. The dorkier, the fun for me, more fun for me, whatever.

SPEAKER_00 8:52

So no, there's nothing wrong with like in the more technical aspects of things. And uh I used to live in uh the Huntsville, Alabama area. So yes, I've been to Redstone Arsenal, which is the home of NASA, and it's it's just the coolest thing. I was I went as middle school because my dad worked on the base at the time, but no, it's it's super cool seeing like the engines that they have for display everywhere, the rockets on display, just being in the buildings. They have one of the this is a fun fact, they have one of the fastest elevators I've ever been in. It's like a 10, not even a 10-story building or something like that. And if you ride it up or down, you're dropping your stomach. It's like the tower terrible worse somehow. Oh, you got that one.

SPEAKER_02 9:40

I gotta I have to try that one. Go go back to Huntsville. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

Yeah. No, and I think I saw recently that because of the Space Force, they started them off in Colorado there with um, I'm assuming not just the Air Force, but the Army, because they're joint missioning it together and now passing off the mission. I think they're all working on moving to Huntsville because their Redstone Arsenal is just a huge base land-wise, not infrastructure yet.

SPEAKER_02 10:08

Yep. And and it's been like a little, like you said, uh, with the I was in Air Force Space Command, so I got out like I think it was two months before Space Force actually started. So I never got to get the Space Force badge, if you know what I mean. But all of our stuff basically, it was the same thing. But Huntsville, um, from the Army side, I don't know if you guys know. So you guys have space officers with your own training, right? And you guys call them F-40s, right? And now like you said, you're combining them and they have their own expertise too. So hopefully everyone in the same doing the same field and so forth. Huntsville, I know it's still here in Colorado Springs. I worked over here at Air Force Space Command headquarters, which is on Peterson Air Force Base, which was right after Shrever, you know. Then from there started working offsite a little bit and so forth, got into the NRO, other other stuff. So yeah, it's all fun, all of it.

SPEAKER_00 11:03

So no, it's all super cool. So, how long uh did you spend total in service? Uh 18. 18 years. 18? Oh, super close to retirement. So I'm sure that was that was a rough decision, and you probably were like, you know what, it is time.

SPEAKER_02 11:22

Uh so mine was medically related, actually. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:26

So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

Yeah. So medical go back through medical again, I guess. Whatever. So at that time, um, I was going through a lot of medical, uh medical things, and they didn't at we didn't, I didn't know. Um the first thing that had that took me out was um sleep apnea, out of all the things. I was having other issues, but when they finally gave me a sleep test, they gave me a sleep test and this and that, and they realized it that was not it, it was like less restless leg syndrome. They were like, you're twitching everywhere, and they were like, and you're you're like severe, like as severe as you can get, right? So I couldn't, so I couldn't deploy. But then a letter came out just that next year that said, if you're undeployed, if you can't deploy in your field, then they were mass moving people out. And that was hard because you're like, What how did this happen and this happen? Hopefully, I'm gonna get my stuff fixed with the you know, medically stuff fixed, but now I'm in my window that you're like, and just like you said, I was so close. I'm like, they're not gonna make me get out with like a couple years left, will they? Well, after and so that added to the stress, which is I know we're gonna go to pickleball later later, but pickleball helped the stress because you guys both know in any situation, I think just us as humans, when we don't know, when we're in control of something, we know, but when it's out of our hands and it could be one week to like months of not hearing anything, you know, just kind of living on what's gonna happen, you know. Like, am I are they really gonna send me or whatever? Am I gonna stay or are they gonna so so at around 18, so I got a letter. They said that they were gonna medically uh uh retire me. I didn't know if it was gonna be an admin separation, it could have been a medical separation, I could have got a or nothing. So I actually got the out of all everything, I guess I got the best thing, which is called a medical um retirement.

SPEAKER_00 13:28

So got medical retirement at 18 and yeah, it that's definitely the the best option because I know several people who you know have medical data of the military close to retirement, either they were past it or right at it, uh a couple people right before, but it and because it's the medical, it is it usually ends up being the best option for them if they can't time it with their retirement.

SPEAKER_02 13:58

Right. And that's what I like to advocate tier two, not just being a vet. You'll see that uh uh I work with a lot of adaptive programs, whatever, because I don't mention it many times that I'm 100% disabled. Uh, but I just go out there and try my hardest and play and give it my all. And the people that learn about it, they're just like, you don't move like you're whatever. I'm just like, hey, live every day to its fullest, and I'm giving everything 100% every day, you know.

SPEAKER_00 14:25

So some people, some people don't realize that just because you're 100% doesn't mean you can't run and jump. There's there's all kinds of different reasons to be medically separated than get 100%. You know, could I know people who've were hearing aids and they're you know in their 30s because they were blown up in a Humvee and have had uh concussions and other issues like that, and working on getting out because you know that side of it. They can still run, they can still jump, they can still play catch with their kids, but they're you know, there's different aspects. Yeah, well, yeah, we can move into you know what started you guys on pickleball. I'm assuming originally you both played tennis. Um, and as pickleball started becoming more and more of a thing, um, that's what you guys decided to to slowly transition to because it's tennis. To me, it's tennis on a smaller scale, but I'm sure you guys can elaborate a little bit more.

SPEAKER_02 15:30

Uh Rachel, you can go ahead.

SPEAKER_03 15:32

Um, yeah, so I was playing college tennis in 2020 when COVID hit. It was my senior year. They sent us all home. And uh my parents actually lived in Naples at the time, uh Naples, Florida, which was known as like the pickleball capital of the world. So they had just picked up pickleball themselves. So when I came home for my break during COVID, um, we all started playing together. And then obviously I ended up staying home from school. And um, it was something that we could do every day outside to get outside during COVID um and do it together. And so we pretty much played pickleball every day. And um, yeah, coming from tennis, it definitely helped me uh speed up the process of learning the game of pickleball, but I would say it's definitely a different game. Uh, now that I know more of the ins and outs of pickleball and strategy-wise, it's definitely different. But certainly having the background of tennis and the and the stroke production and and hand eye coordination definitely helped. Um so yeah, that's kind of how I got into it, and we still all play together today. And I think that's something that makes pickleball really special. Is like in tennis, I could never play with my parents because my they couldn't handle the spin on my ball or the pace of the ball, whatever. So um, pickleball, even though I am a much higher level than them, it's something that we can all still play together, and um that makes it really fun.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

Yeah, no, I I like tennis, I never played it at any kind of level just for fun, and I do that with my wife on occasion, and I have to I can't go, you know, what I feel like is at a harder pace against her because the court size, she can't get to everything in time, and I want to have like an actual volley with her, yeah. Um then she doesn't I've I have a little bit of experience of playing it like you know for fun and in gym and stuff at school, and we took up lessons a couple times as kids, but I want her to enjoy it too, and also it's a good workout. But I I've been thinking of pickleball because we have courts here uh down the road for me, and I could actually do that with my kids.

SPEAKER_03 17:41

Yeah, I think it's easier for kids too, because the ball doesn't bounce as high and the racket's not as heavy and not as big, so I think it's definitely more adaptable.

SPEAKER_00 17:52

Yeah, then the ball doesn't go flying if it hits a certain way, and you're just like, oh well, that's over the fence. Now we gotta walk all the way around to go get it.

SPEAKER_03 18:02

Yeah, I mean, I actually started playing pickleball at you know at the local park. I mean, I was playing with 90-year-old people and still we were still having a game. You know, it's not like um like all ages can play it, which I think is really nice.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

Yeah, that's that's definitely cool. And Jose, I'm assuming you mentioned you have a a tennis background as well.

SPEAKER_02 18:22

Yeah. Yeah, so I was uh played soccer and tennis in college, coming from Southern California. Um, and then after that, while I was in uh the military, I was part of the world class athlete program at tennis. And it was funny that you talked about pickleball because when it started to get, I guess, a little bit more popular, uh someone told me about it and I was like, pickleball. And the short scene that I was shown was like people just going like doing dinking dink, and I was like, what is this? So I was like, no, I'm not gonna play pickleball. So at first I was like, nope, absolutely not, which was kind of funny as a joke first, but I actually didn't go play. Well, funny thing, just like Rachel said, uh, so I live in a co-housing community, and our average age of our community, which is like 30, 35 houses, is pretty high. And finally, one of my neighbors, he's probably he's probably 80, probably 80 something. He finally was like, Let's go hit a couple balls. And I was like, fine, let's go hit a couple balls. So we go to the park, a little crusty park, kind of where I buy I live, whatever. After hitting a few balls, I was just like, this is fun. And then I thought to myself, I was like, so I have to cover this size court, right? And I was like, instead of a full tennis court, and I was like, hmm. And I was like, okay, and I don't have to serve overhand now, so I can save my shoulder. So I was like, there goes that. And then we started playing. And like most people say, they like I played one time and I was hooked. I think that's pretty much what happened. So, you know, so must see there. I was just like, yeah, I think we're gonna get just give it a try, just uh whatever.

SPEAKER_00 20:06

So yeah, no, that makes sense. I I just looked it up because I was curious to see when pickleball started, because I figured, oh, it's probably like 2010 or something like that. And then and because of COVID, that's when it took off. Nope, either 1965 or 1976, something like that. So it's been around for a lot longer than I thought, and it it probably is an offshoot of like tennis and badman.

SPEAKER_03 20:33

Yeah, they say tennis and ping pong, actually. There's a lot of similar ping pong strokes up at the at the kitchen line.

SPEAKER_00 20:41

I can see that. So that's what it's called. The the kitchen line is the net.

SPEAKER_03 20:46

Yeah, just behind the net. Yeah. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 20:49

Because it's gotta be food related since it's pickleball. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:54

Yeah, so that so that line, there's an area. This is uh as a coach, when I'm coaching at um, I'll tell them like this is one of the uh few sports that have a like a restrictive area. So in that restrictive area, that's where we do a lot of a uh our strategy play, as Rachel was mentioned, whatever. So um that's cottage called the non-volley zone, right? Non-volley zone NVZ line, but you'll hear it in jokes on TV now and in commercials, call it the kitchen. So it's like don't go into the kitchen. So there's like a restrictive area in that in the front, which is why at the high level, you'll see when Rachel's playing all the, you know, all the other ones high level playing, they'll be playing like a little cat and mouse game in this little area that's kind of restrictive for the right ball to start uh attacking or doing more, as we say, doing more with whatever. So but if you don't know, it kind of there it's called it's called dinking when you're dinking back and forth. And just like she said, the best part about it is that I can do it with anybody. I I always have my paddles on me. I don't know how many kiddo kiddos. It doesn't matter the age. I have my whatever. And anyone can play. Doesn't matter. And we can just hit back and forth, rally, back and forth, whatever a few, and and they love it because they get a lot of repetitions in. So we say a lot of reps, a lot of reps in. And they're like, this is fun. And I'm like, yes, this is fun. Because it doesn't matter who it is.

SPEAKER_00 22:18

So yeah. No, that is really cool. Um, so you're obviously a coach, and Rachel, you're at the professional level now for MLP major league pickleball, which I think is kind of cool that they just change change the sport on the end because it's a recognizable thing. People like, wait, Major League, what is that? Um so how did you get started with um sort of Rachel, how did you get started, you know, at the major league level?

SPEAKER_03 22:53

Yeah, actually I I did play major league pickleball for one season, but now I'm signed with the Professional Pickleball Association, which they're they're under the same um under the same name now, technically. Yeah, yeah. It's all it's all the same players. It's just um with school I was having trouble with the team thing and and making all the events. So um I switched out of that. But uh that was a really fun time and opportunity. But um, I don't know, like I said, I kind of you know started probably at like a baseline higher level just coming from college tennis. Um I think with COVID, it was kind of hard to um raise that level extremely fast, like some like some people are able to do now. Um, but just kind of slowly started playing, you know, meeting more people, getting better games and practice in. Um then I started playing tournaments at the 4-0 level um with a mixed partner. He was, I think he was like 11 or 12 at the time. So that also shows like it really doesn't matter the age, and he was way shorter than me, but um we played a lot of tournaments together. We won a bunch at the 4-0 level. Uh, we moved up to 4-5, and then we started winning there too. So we've, you know, we worked up to to 5-0 and uh yeah, I was playing 5-0 tournaments um in women's and in mix too, just not traveling like super far or anything, mostly just local like Florida tournaments, um, playing 5-0 mixed, you know, doing pretty well, whatever. Um and then uh the year that I started medical school, they did a they did like an open draft for the major league pickleball. So I put my name in, I was like, well, what the heck, you know, let's let's see what happens. And um I think they drafted like 48 players, and I was like the 46th draft, so one of the last players. Um, but the the team and the managers, the Bay Area Breakers, they took a a chance on me not really having like any sort of record or anything. Um and then that I would say that opportunity like really kick-started my you know, quote unquote professional um pickleball career. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:02

You can you can say you've you are a drafted athlete, though. So that is that is something really cool. Not a lot of people can say that. So I'm assuming you essentially went from a team working with uh being on a team element essentially to an individual level or maybe a a pair level.

SPEAKER_03 25:21

Um yeah, exactly. Yeah, so the MLP, the major league pickleball, is a team of four, which was nice, like coming from tennis and being on a team. It was nice. The team environment was really cool. Um and then yeah, like I said, just with um school commitment, it was it was a little bit hard to make those events. So I switched to the professional pickleball association tournaments, which are, like you said, more at the individual level or pairs. So it was easier to kind of pick and choose um which um events I would go to. And I would say because of my success in MLP, though, that is how I got the contract with the PPA. So, like I said, it all kickstarted with that um amazing opportunity that I had.

SPEAKER_00 26:03

No, that is really cool. Um, and then Jose, you obviously started with tennis, started playing pickleball while you're still in. Uh, what made you s make the switch up to coaching?

SPEAKER_02 26:16

Oh, uh so um my favorite thing, this is gonna be my favorite thing is coaching. I've been coaching and I coach lots of different sports, but I think my first coaching job, I was 12. And I there maybe my brain, um ADHD, um dyslexic on this one, but it was very good on picking up tactics and strategy from a young age. I was small. I mean, I'm not big now, but I was small, small. So that was I was never outpowering anyone in any sport. I wasn't out, whatever. So natural ability to natural ability, for I knew I'd never had it, but I could outthink them. I did that. And you just needed enough, right? Enough talent to do that. So um, so I've been coaching since I was 12. I think my first coach was I was uh my brother's soccer coach at 12. And then my first tennis camp where I was a tennis coach, I think I was 16. And I and I do mean I love playing, right? And I was playing at a high level right then, but I loved coaching. But I loved kids, I love coaching, I loved explaining maybe the things that I didn't get explained, or people that didn't explain a certain concept to me, whatever. So uh so I'm 49 now, so that means I've been coaching for a minute. So when I uh uh started playing pickleball, it was just natural to not just play, but once I started learning, especially the differences, as Rachel will probably attest to, when when uh someone actually gets good as a tennis player or another racket sport, when they actually learn the differences and what you can and cannot do with both of them, the ones that actually get good are the ones like, oh, these are the differences between tennis and pickleball from a strategy standpoint and or playing, right? Then those guys get better. The ones that want to continue, they stay at that level. So when I started, when I started playing, I got um uh picked up by Pic Ninja, which I think I'm wearing it right now. Um they're based out of Minnesota in 2020. It was right before COVID. I actually signed with them February 2020. And uh and by that time I was already playing, but I was already coaching um the little ones. I was whatever, I was doing individual coaching. I be I was already doing tennis coaching my whole um in high school, in college, I coached a couple camps uh all throughout um my career as an officer. I just always did lessons on the side, was kind of like my site, whatever. It's just that I wanted to teach. I just wanted to teach. So um once I once I signed, I just started doing, I was doing camps, I was doing whatever. And I and people always always ask me, yeah, I did get excited the first time. I think my first AP, let's see, it was uh PPA that year because I was all excited because I was signed, whatever. I was like, oh, I think I went to Utah, I went to Arizona after that, whatever. But I felt the more excitement was like the social and the camps and the events and getting everyone together and watching everyone smile. And like she said, the 11-year-old playing the 88-year-old. And then I come in and I still get my butt kicked by both of them. And I'm like, what is going on? So I that's how I got into uh I stayed with coaching, but I mean it was easy transition to go into coaching on the pickleball side, whatever. So still my favorite thing coaching and mentoring. So that's I feel that's what I'm here for, right? And I what I teach uh so my company, I started that a couple of years ago called Rev It Up Tennis Tennis, and it's called Tennis and Pickleball and Mental Health Academy. So those that's how much all those mean to me. And I teach them whatever they learn on the court, right? They have to take it off the court. That's the number one thing. So they have to like, I'll be like, okay, you already know what coach is gonna ask you. So if we were learning patience that day at the kitchen, whatever, they have to tell me a story their next lesson, like, okay, tell me what happened off the court, and they'll I get all kinds of stories, you know. And they're like, Well, I was patient in traffic because what so it's like so it's just basically teaching them life skills. So, and that's how I feel. That's why I say coach and mentor or whatever, or life coach, you know, to just help along the way. So I think that's why we use sport, anyways, right? We use sports, really teach us off the court and how to deal with our emotions and all the other things that we have to deal with with life.

SPEAKER_00 30:30

Yeah. Yeah, no, that's that's the whole point of why OVN wanted to, you know, start up a podcast again was to shine the light on all these sports that we that vet not just veterans are competing in, but using to help them, you know, with their mental health, with you know, it's a the physical as exercise aspect of it. Um just showing that people are in motion still, even while they're out of um the service, still finding their mission of what they want to do um outside of the service or while still in, too. Have giving them some you know something else to derive and aspire for. Yeah. Uh so Rachel, with you uh you know, fully going active duty soon. How uh how's that gonna affect your pickleball plans? Are you gonna start are you gonna be an offshoot of Jose's gym and start teaching on the side?

SPEAKER_03 31:38

Or yeah, I think the my traveling pickleball career is soon to be over. Um going active duty, but um, you know, hopefully still play like some local tournaments here and there. Um, I know that the residency program that I'm going into at Walter Reed, um, a lot of the doctors and residents also like playing pickleball just because it is so popular now. So um I'm sure I'll be playing with them as well and looking forward to that. Um, but yeah, I actually did teach too uh before starting medical school. I think I taught for about a year and a half in Naples. Um and like Jose said, like I I really enjoyed that. I also feel like it really helped my game too, just like being out on the court for six hours a day. And I got a lot of dinks and reps in, like Jose was saying. So um I thought that was really fun, and maybe that's something that I can continue on the side um going into residency. We'll see how busy I am. But um I think for me, um, well, for me, pickleball has always been fun. Um, like it's never obviously been my full-time career like it is for a lot of the top pros. So um, you know, being in medical school, it was always something that I could look forward to, like, oh, I have a tournament next week. I'm gonna work super hard in school this week so I can, you know, get ready and go to that tournament. Um, so you know, it's always kind of like a mental release for me or something that I could do to get outside and stop studying for a bit. So um I'm thinking it'll be the same way moving forward, just less traveling and and tournaments that way. But definitely will still be a mental release and way to get outside and still connect with friends and um, you know, fellow um workers and things like that.

SPEAKER_00 33:24

No, yeah, that makes sense. And that and with the different posts, I know that one I think is one of the more medium-sized. I don't think it's huge like some of the others. You might be able to get an intramural league started if there's not one already, too. Something amongst, you know, every unit or organization, you know, there might be something similar to the hospital there that might have multiple people from different units, or that's just their duty station. Uh, you can they can form teams and might be something you could get going to.

SPEAKER_03 33:59

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 34:02

That's a funny story because the first set of, I don't know, group that I won't say I helped, but I helped was when I was in rehabilitation for my medical stuff, whatever. And it started like with a couple people playing, and then the whole center was I felt like it was like a break from whatever, and it was like pickable time, and it was like kids rushing onto the recess, right? And then when they learned that they're like, Oh, you actually play, and I'm like, I might play a little bit, but they love to learn. I mean, it was I didn't even have to do anything, they were just that excited, right? And you know, they'd ask me questions and so forth, whatever. So all of a sudden it was like this random court in the middle of Arizona, and like people, like people were rushing to get to it to play as much as they could. So like the fact that I've seen it on communities, like just it didn't matter. I mean, I've seen it like you know, like YMCA's and Boys and Girls Club and the uh Silver Key Club. I mean, you name you name it. I mean, it it's it's incredible, right? They they absolutely love it. USSP, which is US U uh United States Senior Pickleball, too. I'm an ambassador for them, all kinds of ages and whatever. And I've seen the same thing over and over. It's just smile after smile, and people are getting fit again. And when you see them get fit, their mental and emotional health gets better. It's just all of the above. It's just love it. And I think that's why I love the coaching. I'm a little bit of an extrovert too, so I I kind of like the social part of it and jumping around.

SPEAKER_00 35:34

So yeah, no. Uh the the cost aspect, I'm sure it's somewhat similar to tennis, but the learning curve and the area that you have to work in, I'm sure the learning curve is still there, but not quite as much as tennis, where you have a massive corp on top of learning how the ball is going to react on the different parts of the racket and stuff. Yeah. No, that is that is really cool. Um shoot, I lost my question. I had one. It was a good one. Um, actually, I think I remembered it. So with it's growing, uh it's becoming bigger and bigger and bigger. Uh, we've got you know, professional and major league level of the sport. What's your guys' estimate on it's gonna start to become a college level and high school level sport? Rachel, would you like to say?

SPEAKER_03 36:29

Yeah, it already is. Um that kid that I was talking about that I played 4-0 with when he was 12. He's now uh recently the national uh collegiate champion. Uh he plays at Florida Atlantic University.

SPEAKER_02 36:44

So they just won last tournament.

SPEAKER_03 36:46

Yeah, yep. Yeah, they're winning everything this year. So he's doing really well. Um it's not um it's still like a club level sport. I don't think they're getting like um what's it called, scholarship money to go yet, but it's definitely growing. Um, I mean, shoot, even in the last four years that I've been in medical school, like I I don't think there really was college pickleball four years ago. And now now it's definitely a lot bigger. So I could I would say within the next like five years, I could see it being like a a regular college sport. Um, high school, I don't know as much about. Maybe Jose would know a little bit more about that. But I mean, also the Olympics, they were really fighting for it to get into the 2028 Olympics. So I don't think it made it, but I think by 2032, hopefully it will. Or yeah, 2032. So I it's definitely growing. And I mean, growing getting into the Olympics would show that it's really growing on like a worldwide level, not just in the US. So that would really be huge. But yeah, it's um it's definitely in college because there's so many kids now who grew up playing pickleball, which sounds crazy. Like they never played tennis. The kid that I played with, he he never played tennis, he just went straight to pickleball. So um they're bringing in different tricks and talents that we haven't seen. And so I think the sport's only gonna grow with influence like that.

SPEAKER_00 38:08

No, I I can think of it as I guess the it's a similar aspect. It's weird to think about like skateboarding. It's weird to bring that in. But Tony Hawk struggled to do the 360, first person to nail it, and now there's eight-year-olds at the X games doing 720s and more on a skateboard and just that short amount of time. I mean, it's it's a long amount of time, it's enough for a kid to be born to become a more than a full-grown adult, but just that skill level progressing as much. I that with it being, you know, starting at the college level, and you know, it's always a fight with the Olympics because they always have to like, you know, we've got to drop, you know, couple sports to pick up new ones. Um I can see it becoming, you know, uh in the next 10, 14 years, however the Olympic schedule is for the summer right now, um, next two, three, maybe four, I can see it becoming there. And but before then, I think it'll be a college-level sport, and then high schools will start going, okay, maybe we need to not just have a tennis program, but a pickleball program. Yeah, so I don't know how that season would run. It would, I don't you wouldn't want it at the same time. You'd want them one in the fall, one in the in the summer or spring.

SPEAKER_02 39:36

Yeah, so uh like you said, so it's already going on. So I think like Florida Atlantic won the last thing. I think Utah Tech, they came out of nowhere, by the way.

SPEAKER_03 39:45

They've been around. They they they were previously winning. I think like last year they won. Texas is has been a big team too. So there's there's a lot of teams, and they're drawing, they're starting to draw players in now, like they that want to go to that school just for pitball. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 40:00

And I'm the and so it's funny when you said college, and you're like, how's that going? And I'm like, well, I'm the college coach for the United States Air Force Academy. So I'm their college coach right now. So I'm a tennis coach for UCCS, and I'm the United States Air Force Academy's uh pickleball coach. So they have so we do a mix. We do so some of those tournaments, right, that are uh also uh um run. So they have regionals and they have their national tournaments, whatever. And then uh they also start playing like what we call local tournaments, and we call some of them like money ball tournaments, like look a little bit lower to get them, right? So that's really like their practice, but they really do get excited about their like when they're playing the other college teams, like they get pretty pumped about about it, whatever. So yeah, love love coaching at that level, low whatever. So there's taken in this and that, they're all in great shape. Holy smokes, they can move. So yeah, it's already gone. Yeah. No, a lot of scenes players, a lot of good players. Shoot.

SPEAKER_00 41:01

I I've seen the requirements um because uh for the physical requirements for getting into schools, because when I was in high school, I had thought I wanted to go to the Naval Academy and become a pilot. A couple injuries happened, and that just kind of ruled me out of that, um, which is why I can't watch Top Gun because that was my favorite movie as a kid, and it still makes me go, gosh dang it. Is it too late? No, no, it's too late, I'm too old. But um, yeah, no, the the the physical requirements are you know pretty pretty good. You have to be a you know some sort of athlete and be doing some sort of sport to be meet the requirements for all the different academies and schools.

SPEAKER_02 41:48

Yep, and um, like Rachel said, so as that's I I won't say bleeding into the uh like high school and middle schools and so forth. So there's a lot of different programs that help with grants, um, like the USA Pickleball program helps with grants the growth, you know, the Grow Um your program, uh different grants and so forth and so forth. So people like us who are ambassadors in our sport, so Rachel, myself, a whole bunch of other people we know, you know. So uh we help these high schools. So I've helped uh a lot of different high schools here in Springs and throughout the nation get a grant, get their equipment, get their whatever. And then once they start getting going, and that's free for them, you know. And once they get going, you know, maybe, you know, however they want to turn that program into something bigger and to or just getting the kids to play, all you really got to do is get the kids to play, right? Like right, and they love it. So um a lot of middle schools and high schools now are have equipment as this, or they just come and tell me. I don't know how many different emails and texts I get, whatever, and they're like, hey, we're starting whatever. Anyway, you can help us out. And I'm like, of course. And so I do that a lot for for a lot of a lot of us for that are ambassadors under a lot of different of these organizations help with, right? To fill that gap. I think that was the gap that we filled a few years ago. I don't know, maybe Rachel might agree with you that they said, like, oh, and now we're gonna get these younger players, but I don't know how many younger players I've met now that are good, that they're like, oh, I don't have any tennis background or ping pong background or this and that. And I'm like, oh, you just went straight into the sport. And I'm like, maybe that just shows how old I am. I'm not really sure, right? But it's good to see like now that's their sport. They're like, no, like I've this is my sport, and this is what I started playing since I was and I started playing with my dad, you know, or something like that, with my grandpa, with my grandma. I love it. I love it. I love every story.

SPEAKER_00 43:34

Yeah, no, I I I do motocross, and so I'll be at practice at a track, and it's it's early enough that it's just open ride. There's maybe 10 people there at the most. We don't need to split up into classes, groups of skill level yet. And I get passed by a kid on an 85cc dirt bike who's young, who's probably in elementary school, younger than the it's you know first through fourth grade or something like that I'm like geez how because some of these kids have been riding since they were in diapers since they're like three four especially with the stasis electric bikes nowadays. The if once these kids start you know doing it and at a younger younger age the skill level of the sport just progresses exponentially like like with the Tony Hawk skateboarding analogy.

SPEAKER_03 44:30

Um it's just incredible what happens once people start doing it for a longer period of time and at a younger age it also helps that we have great coaches like you guys um so I have a question uh because it was kind of brought up uh Rachel the army sends people to the Olympics would you be willing to go if you qualify uh to the Olympics and represent not just the country but the army for that to happen do you still have to be one of the top in the country because that's certainly not me I mean of course I would go but um you've got some time as well there's so many um so many good players that like I said they make it their full-time career now and um because pickleball is starting to get a lot more um money into it like even when I started you know four or five years ago people couldn't make it their full-time career there just wasn't enough enough money to do that um so it was almost like a little bit more of an even playing field back then because everyone was also working another job and trying to train at the same time but now I mean these top pros are making millions of dollars a year so it's all that they're doing and all they're dedicating is you know everything is pickleball. So honestly I I think that it's very hard for me to compete with that but I mean I would love to still you know keep competing um even as I get into residency and go active duty.

SPEAKER_02 46:07

And there's yeah there's other actually other other opportunities too so like uh myself uh like we just had Warri games back here in uh Colorado Springs right um hosted at Colorado College and we're trying to put a bid in to like start with some of those events that lead into the either the Olympics or Paralympic games right you got Pan Am games you got da da I know that people think of Olympics right so I got like my master's in education and then you know my doctorates in sports management. So you kind of know like there's a system you know I know most people are like Olympics but like well we have to get there and uh and get the sport into some of these other events first right and this and whatever and then that builds the exposure and even like I said the world class athlete program I don't think they have pickleball yet maybe Rachel knows or whatever but I know they still have tennis you know and that's just another way to like showcase that from especially from either the military or vet side you know and then hopefully like you said if that builds up enough maybe by 32 or something like that, you know, enough of those other events that they're like oh we had a good showing or we had a good you know representation of countries because like you said there are like if you get put a that's one of the things that you learn is if one support goes in another sport gets unfortunately hosed right but then if you you also need uh part of the requirements is you need a certain amount of representing countries to do it. So if you don't even meet that requirement it can be as big as it wants in America and it can't like you know so flag football met that barely for this one. So there's a whole bunch of like those small requirements I know that people don't know about whatever and you're like so that's why you use these other tournaments. So hopefully that'd be that'd be great to see it in the Olympics and I guess 32 that would that would be awesome. It would be a good testment and it'd be a good testament on all the people on the you know back end that you really don't see that have to do all those things and you know to to get it there.

SPEAKER_00 48:05

So no yeah it it makes sense that it needs a whole bunch a whole bunch of work on the back end not just you know progressing on the athletic side of it but you know growing the organizations that run it and that type of thing. I don't realize that you know professional pickleballers can make you know that kind of money I figured it'd be you know enough like close to like the WMBA and they they do a little bit of coaching on the side to help you know add a little bit extra stuff. So it sounds like there's some like big sponsorship out there not just with like some of the major clothing companies like Nike or anything like that.

SPEAKER_03 48:52

Yeah they make a lot of money with sponsorships um and there's a lot of different sponsors that you can get paddles clothes I mean our top female athlete just signed with Nike which was really huge for the sport um to get a Nike sponsorship. So I can't imagine how much she's making with that. But she had then on top of that she has her paddle she has an eyeglass company um whatever else that she has too but um I mean the the all the top players probably have you know at least five sponsors so sponsorship money has increased a lot but also prize money has increased a lot like even within the last year I mean it's definitely significantly increased and I would say the top five met male and female players are pretty consistent at making it uh very far in every tournament. So if they're you know if you're one of those top five or top ten um they're they're definitely uh making making enough I would you know definitely north of a million dollars a year up to I mean and our our top male and female are probably making closer to five to ten million a year.

SPEAKER_00 49:58

I don't know oh yeah well if if you're signed with Nike you're you're definitely making some kind of money at that and if you have an eyeglass deal with I'm assuming Oakley because they have their hands in every sport.

SPEAKER_02 50:12

She I think previously was with Oakley but just this year this new pickleball specific Iowa company came in so again they must be paying her a lot to get her away from uh you know a different company oh yeah no to beat Oakley you've you've got to be throwing some serious weight around it's probably you know like a sub brand of Oakley that they started specifically for pickleball um or somebody else started to to you know eat some of Oakley's lunch in a in a way no that's I didn't realize that you know I it makes sense that eyewear is you know needed because you don't want you know super tar sunglasses usually I'm assuming a lot of them make it to uh you'll see the eyewear it's one sport because the ball is big enough to not get into uh so you'll just see people wear frames sometimes so uh but obviously they play out court outdoor conditions this and that so it all depends on on on what it is so sometimes you'll just see like frames like old school I say because I played racquetball too right so we were with the glass whatever but just think of frames without any any lens in them. So you'll see a lot of that too. Whatever because there has been so many just like any other sport once once you start growing and growing growing you'll see the amount of injuries and injuries. So uh along with my coaching I also do classes and one of the classes I do and it's just a class on it's injury prevention class. So I tell them show them movements that they I won't say should or should not be doing you know but you know what to look out for whatever and especially with people with injuries tell coach the injury and then I won't make you move to that ball in a way that is going to hurt you. You know so I give that class out too so it's stuff like that that just helps again just people just helping people in the sport and one of them there was there was getting a lot of people with the injuries to get hit in the face. So a lot you'll see a lot of more people wearing the the eyewear.

SPEAKER_00 52:12

No it makes sense to have iPro you're playing a a a stick and ball sport and accidents happen um and you can easily miss something or you you can always slip it it can happen to anybody and then uh you know take a pickleball to the face which I don't think would be fun I haven't held a pickleball before I'm assuming it's not you know as soft on the outside as a tennis ball but still plenty hard it's like a hard plastic like hard plastic like a wiffle ball okay how about how about that that's uh it's hard when I tell some younger kids I'm like hey it's kind of like a wiffle ball and they're like what's a wiffle ball and then I'm like you just hurt me you hurt my soul with that so yeah so I don't know I don't play with glasses I'm I'm I'm I'm gonna guess my uh it's gonna get there eventually I don't know Rachel do you play do you play with Iwear?

SPEAKER_02 53:06

Uh no yeah so either I know I'm saying that there's a lot of people who do so I I don't yet though but I I've gotten tagged a few times and I'm like thought about it so yeah yeah the equipment the paddles are getting more powerful and the game is getting a lot faster so I think in the last year we've seen a lot more people wearing glasses but I just it obstructs my view I haven't I can't get used to it yet you almost want like aviators but uh aviators are not gonna stay on your face as easily um that and I've I've been seeing like the start I think we now have an indoor court like there there was this old I think it was a JCPenney and also small other small store complex that um they've put a bunch of small stores in but they also have like an indoor like uh batting cages and other stuff and I think they have a section for pickleball so that way people can play it during winter because you can't play with snow on the ground obvious outside obviously here yeah you'll see a lot of those people a lot of those places have already popped up I don't I don't know where Rachel plays our uh trains specifically but we already had two now three here in Colorado Springs that just pure indoor place for pickleball pickleball only right and then you'll see like you said a uh some uh facilities that do like a multi like that like have a a field or whatever have a few courts on the side whatever but there's a huge there's a lot there's a lot of different places now here in the in the country there's a pickler there's a there's that are just expanded and getting more and more a lot of indoor places now um to help out with those conditions with either hot obviously the cold for us who always have cold during so we need indoor places and these they're popping up left and right whatever and they're actually each of them are getting better with their because as each place of I scene you know I help with the facilities too uh with the sound the sound that it makes so the the sound barriers that they're doing better the higher the higher roofs the you know better spacing between courts to make it better for more accessible for spec spectators it's great yeah so yeah I don't know where Rachel where do you where do you normally train at?

SPEAKER_03 55:32

Or is it just where you can land yourself like me mostly that but I would say in Florida we don't have as many of those indoor places just because the weather is not really an issue here. Although honestly I wish we did because in the summer it gets kind of hot and rainy so uh it would be nice. But yeah I mean I've definitely noticed when I'm traveling and or at tournaments and I'm driving around like you see like you said the Picklers and there's so many of those indoor places now just not quite as many uh in South Florida.

SPEAKER_00 56:02

No it to me it makes sense like it's a smart business model because I'm assuming you you charge a monthly membership and it to heat and like the place and have somebody manning it at you know business hours you know or some early in the morning and late in the afternoon probably like a gym it probably isn't that you know expensive to start up or maintain and you've got people that come in maybe once once a month or people who are there every day but it to me it it makes sense like you know this business wise if you wanted to start something nowadays that would be you know something good to start.

SPEAKER_02 56:44

Yeah yeah the good thing with that like playing outdoors I mean advantages and disadvantages so um I'm guessing she Rachel plays mostly on just like public public courts or wherever they have their an outdoor facility whatever at least here in Colorado Springs most most people enjoy playing outdoors more with even with the elements. I do I like playing the elements myself right so if they don't like it that it's a windy day I love it that it's a windy day. You know why? Because they're gonna have a horrible day in their head and I'm gonna have a great day in my head. So you know so we we get out as much as we can whatever and and now uh the reason I said that is because a lot of the tennis courts you'll see um got put um just like the random courts you'll see another set of lines on there those are pickleball courts or those are I'm sorry pickleball lines so at least here I'm I actually since I travel everywhere I can almost find a pickleball court just if I want to just go hit a couple balls in the sun and it's nice enough outside whatever and even and and find one just random park. Now they have courts lined just like tennis courts so that's the best part about it. I love want finding a random park just random park in the middle of nowhere and we're whenever I'm traveling and just go hit a couple balls even with my family. I think that's one of the funnest things.

SPEAKER_00 58:06

I don't know about the other ones because I don't I just don't drive by them but the one I do drive by they it was it's only for four tennis courts but they they took two of them and converted them into four pickleball courts and when the weather's nice they are they're filled there's like 20 30 or more people there at any given time they've started to do like tournaments local tournaments there too um just in the last couple of years it's it's grown here since I've been here um so as we we wrap up um do you guys have any other hobbies that you do to to help you mentally uh unwind or anything like that or to relax um yeah I well my husband and I started playing golf like a year ago so we now kind of split our time between golf and pickleball um I we have two dogs so we spend a lot of time with our dogs and our families but um that's about it for my hobbies I mean being in medical school I didn't have a lot of time for a lot of hobbies. Yeah I don't blame you. Did he did he play golf you know at the high school level or anything like that?

SPEAKER_02 59:27

No no no we we both picked it up together um with no experience but um we we played pickleball a lot together we met on playing pickleball um here in Naples um and then he was actually a referee on the PPA tour for a while so we would travel together doing that um which was fun but yeah now pickleball uh is something that we'll always be able to do for fun together and then um yeah we incorporate some other stuff too golf and we just like to be outside doing any activities hiking things like that so yeah uh myself uh I'm a little too busy with my recreational activities so uh meaning like I uh I was gonna say more like uh what Rachel said like hiking like right now I'm in the mountains right now so hiking uh rock climbing you name it you name it scuba diving it uh I'm working with the wounded warrior project being you know part of that myself every activity that they do I'm like yes yes please because I feel like the more holistic you are in what you do and you know we I can play pickleball all day but I'll go horseback riding and be sore you know why because I didn't use those specific muscles you know so I tell person same thing when I'm coaching I'm like hey the more holistic you are I was like the the better that's why I I gotta give I know uh Rachel's pretty uh but I'll give her props since she doesn't have to whatever but I mean just going through how I I read about her uh I can't remember because it was like someone I I think it was the article Rachel that I said that I saw it was like she's going through medical school she's in the army and she's on the tour and I was like well that's pretty much your whole time that's what I thought in my head I was like I know what that's like kind of and I was just like so I was just like that's like and she's by the way she's a superstar in alt in everything so she's not gonna she's gonna shake her head but whatever and then so I mean I that's why I reached out to her I was like how and one of my first questions was like hey um I told her a little about mice about myself and I said like you know when someone's holistic like this and they can perform in these different things how do you do that that was what one of my first questions or other than like pickleball because that's what you teach she's about to be right she's gonna be teaching the rest of the officers. So I told her from from a colonel standpoint that's what I would teach them. Like hey be good to your people but really be good to your people right and tell them how to be a holistic person. Right? So that I think what you were just asking is like with all your hobbies I'm like mine a little bit too much maybe I got to dwindle down on them right but I I do I take in as much as in as I can from any time I get a chance to do anything at all like yes like yes man like them like like like that movie. That's kind of like me sometimes so sometimes I go overboard and I get a little bit overloaded and tired but I mean I just try to be a holistic person and that's what I try to teach and I mean that's what she showed that's why the whole reason I reached out to her was that she she so that she could perform in many different things you know and obviously that comes you have to balance it and balance it well.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:34

So I don't do well with sitting around so uh I always have to be busy as well yeah that brings a whole new question that I probably should have asked is did did you sleep at all?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:49

Do you sleep at all Rachel?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:52

You know I I I guess I study efficiently or something. I never stayed up past like 10 o'clock ever. I I I have to go to bed early. That's like my thing but so um yeah I sleep sleep is not like a non-negotiable for me. Um but yeah I mean some I think mostly like the the tournaments and the traveling is probably what would get me the most uh just the hours and things like that. But like I said I I'd rather be be traveling than just sitting around doing doing nothing.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:23

So that makes sense. I guess one one more quick question.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:31

How did you both find OVN so I was um let's see so I got sponsored like I said in 2020 and I worked with a lot of different military programs. So I worked for um a Veterans Service Center um I was a career coach still career coach and life and life coach for Mount Carmel Veteran Center and there I learned of even more programs that just started helping vets. So I'm part of another program called um it's called MVP merging of veterans and players and merges a vet with a player a professional player or Olympic or above player in that field and puts them together right and I was like oh so I'm the vet and the player so I'm like I don't know which one so I do both for that program and just I just learn more and more about the different and then I came across OVN and I read their mission and Tony's mission and this and that and I was just like oh so this is someone who understands that how it we have to be professionals in whatever we do. Now I'm a civilian right I have my own business but before that yeah it was hard. It was hard to be a colonel and I still taught tennis and still part of the world class athlete program. That was tough but no one really talks about it. You just do it because you love it. So it was good that he he was empowering and then it was when I once I joined the team I was happier because I was like this is not just a pickleball community it's a community of all sports. So I was like hey I have a teammate he is my teammate and he's a bull rider. I also have a teammate that's jujitsu. I also have a teammate whatever and I will go see them if they're anywhere close to me. You know to me that's important because again it talks about the holistic so once I saw Tony's mission and this and that I saw the people who were involved I went to a couple meetings how genuinely nice and understanding they were of each other's sports and their stories you know and I mean all all of us playing sport we all we all have a good injury or a couple injury stories and our comeback from that you know it was easy it was easy to join.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:33

So that's how I started I think Jose you reached out to me, right? Yeah yeah so I think he already explained it but yeah pretty much um he reached out to me we had like an hour and a half long phone conversation the first time we talked and he told me all the great things about OBN and Tony and everything that um you guys were working on and the mission and Um yeah, again, like for me, same thing. It was easy. Um I love to, you know, represent a great cause and um, you know, help it grow and um advocate for veterans, mental health, and um being, you know, one of the only two pickleball athletes. I think we had a unique opportunity to to join the team and and spread the word in a in a different and new way.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:25

Yeah, no, it's it's definitely a sport that is easier for people to get into. Um, it's definitely not as costly as like motocross for me and uh CJ, who I'll be talking to soon. She she's a race car driver. I'm not sure what level, but it's a pretty good level. Uh, and she competes in bodybuilding, which too, incredibly brutal on your body sports if she's like doing a lot of laps like NASCAR, because that is like they drop like 30 pounds or something ridiculous in in the race because of the heat and the conditions, and not only that, the mental focus to just go around a track at maintaining 200 miles an hour. Yes, there's some breaking and slowing down, but going that fast, I I don't think I could handle that.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:22

Yeah, and and I also want to give just obviously uh props and a shout out to Tony, who's done. I mean, once I joined the team, and then Rachel also joined the team, right? You know, he's um the input that he's asked from us, you know, he's like, I'm not you tell you tell us you're like what what is it that you'd like to see? Like, what do you want your jerseys to look like? How do you do it in whatever? I mean, that you know, so it's one thing to be supported, but if you know, just like anything I do from the officer side, you know, since we're talking about OVN, it's the more input you can get and actually take from your team, you know, and you make it you make it better. So, I mean, total props to Tony and the whole team and all of you guys for I mean, all that you do for us. So we want to say, I personally want to say thank you, but you know, we want to say thank you for all that you do for us.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:10

So yeah. Uh the I've seen like the jerseys for the competition shooters, and those are really cool, um, especially because OVN's like, yeah, we want to be, you know, on the forefront, but you also have people who actually, you know, who you who give you money. So we want to make sure those people are on there too. Which I know, you know, depending on the organization level, like with my don't bring the motor cross, like the pro level, like the gear companies are like, no, no, no, we're going right here.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:42

Right across the chest. Uh, for those of you who are listening, I just pointed right across my chest because I'm wearing a fly shirt, where some of the companies, like, or some of the teams like the now defunct team Geiko Honda was like, no, no, no, we're going right across the chest, right in big logo. And there's there's fighting between the teams and the gear companies, and eventually they you know the compromise. But OBN's just like, yeah, no, we want to be on there, but there's people who have you helping you for a while that need to be, you know, represented as well. Which I think is cool. Um so speaking of sponsors, is there anybody that you guys want to give shout-outs to? Um, or any way that people can support you, other sponsors, or just people in general? Uh Rachel. You can go ahead.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:36

Okay, yeah. Um, just right now I'm I'm sponsored by Selkirk. They do my um everything head to toe, basically, paddle, clothes, shoes. Um, they're a great company, more of a family-owned and operated company, but they're probably one of the top three um paddle companies now um worldwide. Um, so uh this is my second year being sponsored by them. They've grown a lot with technology and clothes and every aspect. They treat their players really well. Um, so I'm super thankful to be with them.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:12

Yeah, and shout out to uh obviously the whole OVN team. You guys rock rock out, whatever. Um Fouille, Fouye and family. Um, they own PicNinja, Pic Ninja Sports, they're out of uh Minnesota. Um, I get my pedals and apparel through through them. Um, also sponsored by Stretch Zone. And one of those things that, you know, when I made that uh you know, partnership slash sponsorship, taking care of the body being disabled is very key. So that was very high on my list to show that yeah, in order for us to do this in as much as Rachel can do it, as much as I can do it. Some of those other athletes that actually have to do it in day in, day out with multiple training, whatever, just taking care of your body, you know, the best the best we can with our each of one of us have our own medical, whatever. So thank you to stretch suddenly stretch me at least once a week. So the whole, the whole team there, thank you. Thank you for that. Um, and then a whole bunch of different partnerships. You you can see on my uh website, anything veteran related, anything that um YMCA Boys and Girls Club, anything that came, I didn't come up with I grew up with not much, uh not much money. So it was always uh important to me to um give back and partner with um anyone that is underprivileged in any way, you know, um, and so forth. So uh any of uh all those partnerships I I really do appreciate. And of course, oh gotta say hi, gotta say hi to the family. So uh my wife Marie, I got three sons talking about three sons, so they keep me busy too. So uh um, but uh they love pickleball, whatever. Uh 17, 13, and two year old boys. So they keep me quite busy. But I'm saying that pickleball has is a sport that has actually clicked for us together, you know, to to and anytime even now, I'll just be like, grab a paddle and be like, grab a paddle, and it's automatic. You don't even got to say nothing. You just go outside and start hitting on the concrete and start. So so thank you to the sport and thank you for OVN and everyone for um helping, helping and everything that we do.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:27

Yeah, no, that's cool that I didn't realize that you know certain companies are gonna just do every aspect of making everything. Um, I figured they'd you know be more specialized, um, you know, some in apparel, some in the paddles, some in the balls, and all that stuff. Um and just some make sure I've got it right. Your uh website is rev-it dash up dash academy.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:55

Um yeah, so it's uh so if you can find me on Insta, it's just rev it up uh if you put it in one word underscore academy, you'll see you'll see it there. Um that's my my Insta account, but uh you'll see uh RevItup three words dash tennis and pickleball and mental health academy. So just look it up. If you probably look up RevIUp, put in a search engine. Uh hopefully, hopefully I pop up. And if you have any questions, anyone has uh ever any questions or anything about anything, you can always reach out to me.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:26

So damn Rachel, where can everyone find you on the interwebs?

SPEAKER_03 1:13:33

Um yeah, I'm on Instagram. It's rachelsumers.pickleball. So pretty easy to find.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:39

If you're watching on YouTube, it's I'm not sure where I'm putting it yet. I'm gonna be honest with you, uh, all uh watching or listening, um, just because this is my first time having three guests and it's not the normal side-by-side video where I could just put our information underneath. Um, but yeah, listeners, uh, we'll we'll call it a day here unless either of you two have something more to add or questions or anything like that.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:06

No, just thank you to OVN and everything that you guys do.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:10

Yeah. Thank you, OVN. Happy Earth Day to everyone. Oh, yeah, get out there, be you know, be healthy.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:17

Yeah, by the time this comes out, it will not be Earth Day. But you know, I hope people still can think about it. And you know what? Marketing your calendar, celebrate it next year, go out to play pickleball, play in the dirt, do some gardening, do something. Um yeah, to our listeners, thanks for joining me on another episode of the No Neutral podcast. Um, Jose and Rachel, thanks for uh joining. Awesome. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:44

Thank you. Thanks for having us.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:46

Yeah, uh I'm just glad OBN was like when I said in one of our calls, like, hey, I've got the stuff I could I stream on Twitch, I can I can do the podcast. I I think I can do it. I'm I'm pretty sure I can do it. And like, all right, let's let's send it. And now this is uh my fourth or fifth episode or something like that. Yeah. Um, and uh in the future, the goal is to uh to have a live, like go live on YouTube, Facebook, and it probably Instagram and take live questions. Um, and if either of you would be interested in those, the that's further down the line, Rachel. You'll probably be too busy being, you know, an active duty doctor and all that. So um if you have time and it all lines up, it'd it'd be great to have either of you. So so for everyone I've talked to, I would want to do it with, but I you know, I can only have so many people, I think, for it to for it to work.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:46

That would be a cool, cool way to do it.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:49

Yeah, I do I do like the just uh a little bit about whatever you're gonna do, whatever. I I do like the QA too, because I've I I've I've learned as coaching through all the sports that I've coached, which is a lot, right? But um, they're just embarrassed to ask a question to someone who knows what they're talking about, I guess, you know, like I'm I'm gonna use pickleball, right? So, like there's a lot of things that you hear, let's say, in the park or other players saying, and you're like, well, that's not completely true. So I always tell them, like, you can always, I was like, once you know me, you can text me or call me at any time. And I'm a I'm a credentialed ref too. So I get all kinds of questions, balls, paddles, what do you think about this? Whatever. So some people use me, some people don't. But I'm like, you have access to me at all times. So I don't I do like the QA because maybe someone's finally just went, I've just been dying to ask X. And you're like, you know, and you can give an honest answer if especially if there's a couple of different people, a couple different perspectives.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:51

That's bad. And I'm hoping to get uh, you know, a wide spectrum of sports. Um for for listeners, if you had do you have any questions about any sport, please feel free to put them in the comments on on YouTube or on uh the OV and Instagram when they they share the post about the episode. Um I don't I think you could I'm not sure about some of the podcast platforms that this is going out there, but I think you can make comments on Spotify. But I I don't know if I can reply to those. So your best bet people is to is to use YouTube or uh or mainly Instagram. Um but uh and then now's usually the time where I say where where can people find you, but we already kind of gone gone over that. Um to everyone else, you can find me um to see what I'm doing at purple badger man, capital P B and M. No Spaces. Uh please check out Ovian's website. Um and remember to reach out to somebody if you're in a crisis. Uh, Vets for Warriors is a confidential veterinarian help service. You can call, email, or chat with 24-7. Um, they may not be a licensed uh psychiatrist, but they do have training, they are professional and it is confidential, they will help you, they will figure out, you know, if they're not the person to do it, they will be with you while they get the right person on the line. Um, and if for some reason you forget about them, the if you dial 988 and press one, you can get a hold of the the veteran crisis line. Um, but other than that, everybody, thank you for watching or listening on whatever platform is your personal preference. Um, I will see you on the next episode with another veteran or veterans because we could have another multi person episode. Uh thank you everybody and have a wonderful day.