Meet the Pickleball Pros - Glen Peterson

Glen Peterson stopped by PickleballCentral just a couple of weeks ago.  I didn't get to talk with him then, but I asked David Johnson about Glen, and David said he was definitely a 'Pickleball Pro!'  Glen was gracious enough to share about himself via email.  Thanks Glen!

Can you list for us your major wins so we can correctly introduce you to our readers?

Some of my accomplishments include:
           Gold in Senior Men's Open Singles 2014 Tournament of Champions
           Silver in Senior Men's Open Singles 2014 Nationals VI
           Gold Men's 5.0 Singles 2014 Timberhill Spring Fling
           Bronze Men's Over 35 Doubles 2014 Oregon State Games with Don Paschal
           Gold 50-55 Men's Doubles 2013 WA State Senior Games  with Scott Lennan

          Here is a link to the 2014 Nationals Senior Open Men's Singles Gold Medal Match (I took silver):

What paddle do you play with and why?

What’s your Pickleball story? How were you introduced to Pickleball?

My 82 year old father and I started playing in 2011 at the Northshore Senior Center in Bothell, Washington. My first tournament was in May 2013. My wife Paula would say my addiction to pickleball began late in 2012 and has finally subsided to normal levels. Oh, that I had started playing in my twenties!

What is your preference - playing indoors or outdoors?

We love being outside and will even play in the rain at times. We find the outdoor Dura pickleball and indoor Jugs ball to be dramatically different. A common indoor/outdoor ball would help reduce the difference in play.

Do you like singles or doubles better? Why?

Though exhausting and lonely, singles is a great physical challenge with significant health benefits. My blood pressure is much better since I started playing singles in 2013. I prefer doubles with its long rallies, kitchen parlays and camaraderie.

What are your favorite places to play? Why?

We consider the two outdoor courts at the Redmond Senior Center to be our home courts. The distinct northern tilt is no mirage. A popular bike trail beside the courts supplies onlookers and even an occasional participant.

What’s your “secret sauce”? Any tips for players?

Relax, smile, and complement your partner no matter how things are going! Continually experiment with your style of play or others will 'figure' you out.

What is your day job?

Following a wonderful career with Caterpillar in North America, Japan and France, we retired to six acres in Redmond where we garden and enjoy our children and friends.

How many hours a week do you play? How do you make the time to play?

I play 6-10 hours per week with many extraordinary people and some outstanding players.

Do you have any Pickleball goals that you would like to share?

My goal is to be competitive with my wife Paula in 5.0 Mixed Doubles. Despite her non-competitive nature, she is willing to engage with me in this sport and has improved dramatically. We may not win any tournaments this year, but we might scare a few teams! I would love to compete as well in doubles as I have in singles. I hope to play for decades to come and eventually be known as one of the most gracious players in the game.

Anything else you’d like to share about your experience being one of the best pickleball players in the world?

I am thrilled to be involved in this sport as it is still emerging and love the fact that its idiosyncrasies allow seniors to compete with much younger players. I never imagined that I could be contending for Senior Gold medals in the biggest tournaments in the nation! Winning these tournaments will be much more difficult in 10-20 years as more athletes discover this extraordinary game.