As the present now
Will later Be Past
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’
Many of us at The Landings who came of age in the turbulent sixties remember Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changin.” Released in 1963, Dylan sang a prescient warning of what was to come. It was a launching pad of sorts for a decade of generational conflict.
So, what does this have to do with pickleball? Nothing of course, except that The Landings Club has experienced a noticeable increase in the numbers of younger members who are beginning to dominate the sport scene. “Don’t trust anyone over thirty” was the rallying cry in the sixties. Today we might say, Don’t trust anyone under thirty not to kick our butts on the pickleball court.
Last week’s article covered the Dink 4 Pink tournament, congratulating all The Landings Club medalists including Lyndsey and Lexie Thomas who won gold in the 3.0 19-49 category. This was their second tournament, and the second time they won gold medals.
The Thomas sisters moved with their parents Ron and Jan from Illinois to The Landings in 2017, after Ron retired. Lyndsey was a student at the University of Missouri, majoring in Business Management, while Lexie finished high school at Savannah Christian, before studying finance at Georgia Southern. Both work for The Landings Club: Lyndsey in catering and Lexie at the Deer Creek Pro Shop. The youngest of eight siblings, the sisters grew up playing volleyball, softball, basketball and tennis.
Lyndsey and Lexie took up pickleball last spring and were immediately hooked. They played in the Camp Sunshine tournament at Savannah Golf Club in July and now play four or more times a week. While they do not yet have DUPR ratings, Alex Fox rates them as solid 3.5 picklers. After watching them in league competition last night, it is logical to conclude they will soon be approaching 4.0. They have the speed, power and court sense it takes to be elite players. Strategy will come with lessons, practice and time. Both sisters agree there is purpose in pickleball, saying they are drawn to it because it is motivational, recreational, social and intensely competitive.
They are not the only under-thirty players gracing the courts at Franklin Creek. Peter Dorward, who is in his mid-twenties, started playing pickleball a couple of years ago. His DUPR rating is already 4.92. There are others in their teens and younger who are on the courts with increasing frequency. Some are getting very good; it stands to reason that early introduction to the sport will produce future pickleball champions.
Come to Franklin Creek on the weekend of November 3rd and watch Lyndsey and Lexie Thomas compete in the Special Pops Tournament. They will play in the 3.5 19-49 category of Women’s and Mixed Doubles. Better yet, challenge them to a match, but beware, they are good. Yes, The times they are a-changin’.