Pickleballers

In this episode, Allyce sits down with Roscoe and Jared to tell how she went from teaching full-time to playing on the pro tour. They also cover the MLP season, why the juniors have been the surprise of the year, and what it takes to beat Anna Leigh Waters.Allyce opens up about how she found the game. COVID cost her volleyball club $40K, and her mom talked the family into trying pickleball in an empty high school gym. Then her husband booked her a lesson with Callie Jo Smith and told her, “I wanted you to see what I saw.” She trained at 4:30 a.m. before teaching, paid for her career out of her own salary, and made $800 from her first paycheck. After signing with the PPA Tour in 2022, she left teaching, and the goals on the vision board in her classroom came true.Allyce also explains why diving comes from 20 years of volleyball and isn’t for show. She separated her AC joint diving in Dallas, and she breaks down how reading a hitter’s shoulders helps her play defense. She shares why her daughter Leah turned down a tour contract at 12 so she could win a Challenger first, and the night Leah beat her for the first time. She also gives her theory on Anna Leigh’s dominance and her advice for parents who coach their kids.Pickleballers Hat: 🧢https://shop.thekitchenpickle.com/products/pickleballer-snapback?variant=58191198781521Add us on Instagram:https://instagram.com/pickleballershttps://instagram.com/thekitchenpickleballhttps://instagram.com/roscoebellamyhttps://instagram.com/jpaulthechefTimestamps:1:04 — How the MLP Season Is Going1:30 — Do Owners Bid on Their Schedule?3:18 — Why Six-Player Rosters Add Pressure3:47 — The Juniors Stealing the Show5:24 — 5:30 a.m. Workouts With Dad6:34 — A 5'2" D1 Setter at Utah Valley7:16 — 10 Years, Four State Titles, and a 250-Athlete Club8:04 — Why She’s the Best Cheerleader on the Bench9:34 — Where “Mighty Mouse” Came From10:47 — Why Utah Is Pickleball Country12:28 — Dirty Sodas and Swig13:15 — Walking Away After a State Title13:52 — COVID, a $40K Loss, and Mom’s New Game15:06 — From Ladder Leagues to 5.0 Tournaments16:13 — The Callie Jo Smith Lesson That Changed Everything17:23 — Going Pro at 3218:13 — Finding a Partner to Chase It With20:39 — 4:30 a.m. Training, Then Teach All Day21:46 — The First $800 Paycheck22:35 — Why She Signed With the PPA Tour23:10 — From Joola to CRBN23:54 — Jared’s Most Painful Moment on Court24:56 — PickleRoll and Finally Turning a Profit25:27 — Quitting Teaching for Good25:44 — The Vision Board That Came True27:48 — The Mindset Switch to Attacking29:21 — “You Are Annoying to Play Against”30:11 — Why She Dives: It’s Volleyball, Not a Show31:14 — Separating Her AC Joint in Dallas33:39 — What Volleyball Gives You in Pickleball34:30 — Reading Shoulders Before the Shot35:13 — Learning Groundstrokes Without a Tennis Background36:18 — Coaching Her Daughter and Elsie Hendershot38:16 — The Allyce Jones Scholarship39:48 — Why Leah Turned Down the Tour at 1241:43 — Challenger: The Missing Path to Pro42:50 — The Day Leah Beat Her Mom45:00 — Mother-Daughter Teams and Leigh & Anna Leigh45:47 — Anna Leigh’s Bus vs. the Players Lounge47:44 — Her Theory on Anna Leigh’s Dominance50:06 — Chasing a Win Over Anna Leigh51:04 — How Fahey and Bright Iced Out Anna Leigh52:07 — Will Anna Leigh Switch Partners?53:08 — Advice for Parents Coaching Their Kids54:24 — How Pickleball Changed Her Life

In this episode, Connor sits down with Roscoe and Jared to walk through one of the most unlikely paths on tour, from hitting with Novak Djokovic at the US Open to clocking 92-hour weeks in banking. The conversation covers why he bet on pickleball, how he built a brand around his two-handed backhand, and what still stands between him and #1.Connor opens up about the yips that took over his serve, cost him confidence on the sport’s biggest stages, and helped lead to his MLP trade out of Columbus. He breaks down how he won a bronze with Alix Truong in the middle of it, then rebuilt his mechanics from the ground up with help from an unlikely source: Bryson DeChambeau’s approach to the golf swing.Connor also gets into the business side of the sport, including why he only needed to break even to leave banking, how his first Twoey hats landed right as he won the LA Open, and why investing in pickleball has put him in the rooms he used to sit silently in as an analyst. He gets honest about a slow start to the year, recommitting to training, and turning down a bonus because he didn’t feel he’d earned the #2 ranking.Pickleballers Hat:🧢 https://shop.thekitchenpickle.com/products/pickleballer-snapback?variant=58191198781521Add us on Instagram:https://instagram.com/pickleballershttps://instagram.com/thekitchenpickleballhttps://instagram.com/roscoebellamyhttps://instagram.com/jpaulthechefTimestamps:1:05 — The Atlanta Run That Broke the #17 Curse1:32 — Why the Work Finally Started Paying Off2:24 — The Shy Kid From Bellevue2:53 — 6 A.M. Practices and Brutal Tennis Punishments3:36 — Pacing the Court With Novak at the US Open4:11 — “You’re Late”: Novak’s First Words to Him5:04 — How COVID Killed His Pro Tennis Plans5:20 — The Forced Move That Led Him to Pickleball5:48 — The US Open Connection Behind His First Game7:19 — Silver in His First Pro Tournament8:11 — Beating Hayden Patriquin and Wyatt Stoneman Right Out of the Gate9:12 — Getting Humbled After Every Big Win9:53 — Learning What Pro Pickleball Really Looks Like With Tyson McGuffin11:16 — The Tyson Connection Nobody Knew About12:11 — Just How Good Was He at Tennis?13:35 — The Cutthroat World of Pro Warm-Up Partners15:02 — Only Child Syndrome and the Coach Who Fixed It16:17 — Winning on Sunday, Back at His Banking Job Monday17:05 — The 92-Hour Work Week18:11 — Why He Walked Away From Investment Banking18:29 — The Childhood Racket-Stringing Hustle19:23 — Why All He Needed Was to Break Even20:02 — From Silent Analyst to Getting in on the Deals20:28 — Why He Wrote for The Kitchen for Free21:25 — When Men’s Singles Caught Fire23:32 — The Atlanta Tournament That Changed Singles24:44 — Why James Ignatowich Was So Electric26:23 — The Worst Yips in Pro Pickleball History26:51 — Winning Bronze With Alix Truong Through the Yips27:32 — The Trade Out of Columbus28:05 — Why Sports Expose Who You Really Are29:04 — Rebuilding His Serve the Bryson DeChambeau Way30:54 — The Clutch Second Serve That Made the Yips Worse31:52 — Could the Yips Come Back?33:26 — What Zverev’s Double Faults Can Teach You34:10 — The Night Roscoe Forgot How to Hit a Backhand36:15 — Saying Zero Words in a Three-Person Group Project37:40 — Learning to Talk in a Room38:58 — Taking on Your Weaknesses Head-On39:12 — How the Shy Kid Became a Top Clinic Coach41:13 — The Origin of the Twoey42:13 — The Hat Drop That Hit at the Perfect Time43:13 — The Free Hat Promise From Center Court45:26 — Is Pickleball the New Golf?45:39 — Katy Perry, Necker Island, and Where Pickleball Takes You46:21 — What the Next Year Looks Like47:41 — Locking Back In After a Business-Focused Year48:05 — “You Either Got It or You Don’t”49:19 — Warming Up the Mind Instead of the Body50:22 — The Pro Pickleball Nickname Game54:20 — Two Straight Hours of Dinking55:14 — The Squat Stat Nobody Saw Coming56:18 — Why He Passed on His #2 Bonus56:55 — What’s Holding Him Back From #159:28 — Pickleball: Choose Your Own Adventure

In this episode, Steve Aoki sits down with Roscoe and Jared for his first-ever pickleball podcast. The conversation runs from how his wife got him into the game to the DIY mindset that built his entire career, with plenty of honest takes on business, creativity, and whether pickleball is actually cool.Steve breaks down how HeroQuest went from a COVID-era album into a full IP with an anime, a trading card game, and collabs with Burton, Malbon, and Cressi. He explains why every product he drops needs a “collectible soul,” and how the JOOLA Hero and Hyro paddles come with HeroQuest cards, including serialized 1-of-1 chase cards hidden in the boxes.Steve also opens up about the punk and hardcore scene that taught him business at 15, starting Dim Mak out of his college co-op, and turning down a PhD to chase the label. He gets into running up $100K in credit card debt across 10 cards, why his father never funded him, and how DJing small LA bars dug him out and launched the next chapter of his career.Pickleballers Hat: 🧢https://shop.thekitchenpickle.com/products/pickleballer-snapback?variant=58191198781521Add us on Instagram:https://instagram.com/pickleballershttps://instagram.com/thekitchenpickleballhttps://instagram.com/roscoebellamyhttps://instagram.com/jpaulthechefTimestamps:1:07 — How His Wife Got Him Into Pickleball2:09 — Losing 98% of Table Tennis Games to His Wife5:37 — Trading the Skate Ramp for a Backyard Court8:41 — The Phoenix Flames Deal That Fell Through9:07 — How HeroQuest Was Born During COVID11:56 — Why Every Product Needs a Collectible Soul13:23 — Starting a Grading Company for Music13:43 — The JOOLA x HeroQuest Paddle Drop16:07 — How the JOOLA Collab Came Together18:04 — The Mixtape That Changed His Life22:13 — Straight Edge Hardcore and the DIY Code27:30 — Flipping Thrift Shirts and Selling $3 Tapes29:19 — Starting Dim Mak in a College Co-op31:41 — Turning Down a PhD for The Kills32:43 — $100K Deep Across 10 Credit Cards32:59 — Why His Dad Never Funded Him34:24 — DJing His Way Out of Debt36:34 — Gaga, Skrillex, and the Dim Mak Scene39:10 — Only Hiring People Locked Into the Lifestyle41:03 — Finishing Hundreds of Remixes (and the Drake Flop)42:28 — Nerves on Center Court at PPA Vegas43:59 — The Aoki Foundation and Brain Health44:40 — Bryan Johnson’s First Cold Plunge46:17 — Why Racket Sports Are Good for the Brain47:04 — Drafting a Celebrity MLP Team49:43 — Harder: World-Class DJ or Pro Pickleballer?52:02 — The $8K a Month Bar DJ Math54:00 — Is Pickleball Cool?56:47 — Main Stage Rush vs. Winning on the Court57:17 — Why a Unicorn Exit Doesn’t Compare58:16 — Fighting to Stay Relevant1:00:16 — The Cake Finale

In this episode, Lacy sits down with Roscoe and Jared to talk about her path from a small town in West Texas to the pro tour. They cover her aggressive, men’s-doubles-inspired game, her years in engineering, and the decision to walk away from a stable career to play pickleball full-time. It’s a fun, honest conversation with one of the most versatile players on the women’s side.Lacy opens up about her week at Mesa, where she and Jack Sock beat Jorja Johnson and JW Johnson 6 and 6. A couple of days later she was double pickled 11-0, 11-0 in 14 minutes by Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright, then came back the next day to win bronze. She explains what it actually takes to beat the best team in the world and why she thinks her forehand, when it’s on, is top of the pro game.Lacy also gets into her internships at JPL and Apple and the year she spent writing pros and cons lists about quitting Boeing. She describes coming off the bench for an injured teammate at the Newport MLP and the Mesa MLP weekend whose prize money gave her the confidence to quit her job on June 7, 2023. She also talks about the pressure of losing a backup income, her goal of cracking the top 5, and whether she’ll ever go back to aerospace.Pickleballers Hat: 🧢https://shop.thekitchenpickle.com/products/pickleballer-snapback?variant=58191198781521Add us on Instagram:https://instagram.com/pickleballershttps://instagram.com/thekitchenpickleballhttps://instagram.com/roscoebellamyhttps://instagram.com/jpaulthechefTimestamps:1:00 — The Backhand Flick Roscoe Tried to Copy2:06 — The “Step Back King” and Living at the Kitchen Line2:31 — Why She Plays Like a Men’s Doubles Player3:29 — Beating Jorja & JW Johnson With Jack Sock at Mesa3:56 — Double Pickled in 14 Minutes by Anna Leigh & Anna Bright6:12 — Does the Score Line Matter? A Loss Is a Loss7:51 — What It Actually Takes to Beat the Best Team in the World9:23 — When the Forehand Is Cooking, Nobody Can Stop It10:45 — Playing at 5'4" and the Wristy Game13:19 — Growing Up in San Angelo, West Texas14:38 — Mutton Busting Champion at Age Five15:56 — Twin Sister, Every Sport, and Salutatorian16:52 — The 8th Grade Quiz That Made Her an Aerospace Engineer18:05 — Club Tennis and Engineering at USC19:14 — Internships at JPL and Apple’s Classified Projects20:45 — Graduating Into the Pandemic and Landing at Boeing22:58 — Why Satellites Weren’t the Dream Job23:59 — 11 Tattoos in One Day in Australia26:13 — Learning Pickleball With Dad in 201527:02 — Finding the Memorial Park Crew in LA28:08 — “You Should Try Going Pro”29:03 — Off the Bench at the Newport MLP31:36 — A Year of Pros and Cons Lists32:56 — The Mesa MLP Weekend That Changed Everything33:41 — Quitting Boeing on June 7, 202334:23 — Does an Engineering Brain Help on the Court?36:06 — The Pressure of Losing the Backup Income37:21 — The Most Respectful Young Players on Tour38:51 — The Goal: Breaking Into the Top 539:42 — Why She Wants a Kawamoto Back41:00 — Will She Go Back to Aerospace?42:06 — Things People Don’t Know About Lacy42:37 — Singles vs. Doubles: What’s Harder?43:24 — Top Aerospace Engineer vs. Top Pro: Who Has It Harder?44:29 — When Will Pickleball Be Played in Space?45:53 — How Much Money to Never Play Again?47:20 — Loud Partner or Quiet Partner?49:38 — The One Shot She’d Steal From JW Johnson

In this episode, Federico sits down with Roscoe and Jared for a casual, wide-ranging conversation about his journey from a software company desk job to the top of the sport. They cover his blockbuster MLP trade, his reunion with Hayden Patriquin, the global growth of the game, and the mindset that keeps him reaching Sunday nearly every week.Federico breaks down the process that built him, starting with Simone Jardim teaching him that pickleball required real practice. He also talks about Johnny Goldberg telling him he could be #1 in a global sport, and about Beto pushing him to live like an athlete 24/7. He opens up about the late-deadline trade from the Orlando Squeeze to the New Jersey 5s, the pressure that came with the $400K price tag, and why Anna Leigh Waters is the most competitive person he’s ever met.Federico also gets into the miscommunication that split him and Hayden in 2025 and why the two reunited with one goal: beating Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio. He shares what it’s like to have 500 fans screaming at him in Vietnam and why he plays too many tournaments. He also makes a controversial case that MLP’s competitive problems fall on the players, not the league. Plus, Jared and Roscoe make a $5,000 bet on Anna Leigh’s future.Pickleballers Hat: 🧢https://shop.thekitchenpickle.com/products/pickleballer-snapback?variant=58191198781521Add us on Instagram:https://instagram.com/pickleballershttps://instagram.com/thekitchenpickleballhttps://instagram.com/roscoebellamyhttps://instagram.com/jpaulthechefTimestamps:1:00 — The Run to #1 in Men’s Doubles3:04 — From Buenos Aires to College Tennis4:38 — Walmart Paddle, First Pickleball Beatdown6:31 — Simone Jardim Teaches Him to Actually Practice8:17 — Messi and the Never-Give-Up Mindset10:18 — Johnny Goldberg: “You Can Be #1”12:07 — 6 AM Pickle, 9-to-5 Job, Night Singles13:56 — Beto and the 24/7 Athlete Lifestyle15:15 — No Backup Plan16:24 — The Trade to the New Jersey 5s19:05 — The $400K Price Tag19:53 — Why Pressure Is the Reward23:00 — Sprinting With No Finish Line24:05 — Anna Leigh: The Most Competitive Person Alive26:32 — Anna Leigh’s Superstar Workload28:04 — Why He’s Back With Hayden29:22 — The Miscommunication That Split Them30:53 — The Plan to Beat Ben & Gabe32:12 — Chirping on Court, Friends Off It34:17 — Working the Refs, Soccer-Style35:49 — Can the Pickleball World Cup Go Global?37:31 — Will China Compete in 10 Years?38:19 — The $5,000 Anna Leigh Bet39:47 — 500 Fans Screaming in Vietnam42:05 — Bad Refs Overseas44:57 — Rockstar Treatment in Asia46:10 — Life of a Sunday Regular47:35 — The Problem With Playing Too Much49:10 — Prime Age and Playing Until 4050:28 — Shots He Steals From Ben, Hayden, and Gabe52:32 — JW Johnson Is Underrated55:12 — Hype Guys vs. Stoic Pros58:20 — Is MLP Better This Year?1:03:05 — Most Likely To... on Tour1:05:21 — The Street Fight Draft