Colorado Voices
Your Professional Pickleballers: The Denver Iconics
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Elite picklers over the age of 50 find a new lease on life through professional sports
The Denver Iconics, Denver's first professional pickleball team, offers older athletes the chance to play stay competitive, stay fit and stay socially engaged through the increasingly popular sport of pickleball
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Colorado Voices is a local public television program presented by RMPBS
Colorado Voices
Your Professional Pickleballers: The Denver Iconics
Clip | 3m 44sVideo has Closed Captions
The Denver Iconics, Denver's first professional pickleball team, offers older athletes the chance to play stay competitive, stay fit and stay socially engaged through the increasingly popular sport of pickleball
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipThere's so many things about this weirdly named sport, pickleball, that I think draws so many.
No, it's a real sport.
[paddle hitting ball] It gives you a reason to work hard and try to stay healthy.
[feet shuffling] People thought pickleball is for the elderly.
[paddles hitting balls] 50 is the new 20.
So that's all I need to say.
[techno music] [paddles hitting balls] The leagues the National Pickleball League, the NPL.
Started about two years ago, and we were one of the first few teams that jumped on board.
It's a 50+ Champions Pro League.
We have a total of about 14 players on our team, seven females, seven males.
[paddles hitting balls] We call ourselves the Denver Iconics.
[techno music] Most of these players have played a lot of pickleball, and they're rated pretty high up there.
We got our captain, Scott Fliegelman, from Boulder.
He's a rated on that top five.
We got players from all over the nation, from California, from Utah, from Denver.
I get a little bit loud on the court.
I can't help myself.
It's just fun.
Hey, nobody asked!
That was my shot.
I started playing tennis when I was probably five years old.
[paddle hitting ball] Yeah!
[laughing] Played Division I college tennis and then had kids and didn't touch a racket much.
I took up pickleball, and we had so much fun, we just kept doing it.
It makes you laugh.
It's good exercise.
You meet a ton of people and it's something different.
I think that strategy-wise, its very similar.
You know, as a quarterback There's multiple things going on and as you get better in pickleball, everybody's good.
You gotta hit ‘em!
I was fortunate to get a scholarship to play quarterback at the University of Florida.
and then I was fortunate to play seven years in the NFL.
[paddles hitting balls] I stayed somewhat athletic, just exercising, played a little more golf, I hit some tennis balls, but nothing really caught my fire.
Pickleball was when the real competitive juices came back.
There's very few sports that you can enjoy the first day you play and forever.
Oh, you were there!
Nine six one!
Old people, young people, men and women, great athletes, not as good athletes, can all compete together.
Uh-oh.
[paddle hitting ball] Like anyone can just pick up a paddle and have fun, and it progresses to be still engaging for some of the best athletes in the world.
[paddles hitting balls] It's nice to see us at 50+ go into these tournaments at a pro level and getting paid for it.
That gives them a second chance to go play at a professional level.
This is my first year that I've been eligible for NPL because I'm 50 now, almost.
If you would have asked me when I was 45, “Are you excited to turn 50?” Id have been, like, “Oh my God, no, like stop.” But I have been counting down the months until I turn 50.
[paddle hitting ball] You know, turning 50 in general is not always the most great experience in life.
But if you're a pickleball player, it's like a new lease on life.
It's fun turning 50 in pickleball and to have a chance to play at this pro level, it's pretty exciting.
It's fun playing a sport.
It's always fun playing a sport.
But the people that you meet, that's probably my favorite part of playing pickle.
There's just such a community feel for it.
Several of my best friends now are people that I've met through pickleball.
People just show up at parks and play.
They want people out there.
They want people to learn.
So if you're new, like, don't be intimidated.
People will help you.
They're excited to have new players in the sport, which is, I think, unique to pickleball.
When life gives you a house, move it.
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Colorado Voices is a local public television program presented by RMPBS