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»ANNOUNCER: On November 30th, Pickleball Channel was in Austin, TX at a special
fundraiser for the Andy Roddick Foundation. And with the help of some top pickleball players,
people were introduced to the sport of pickleball, including pro tennis player, Andy Roddick himself.
»ROBERT: Tonight was a big night because we were helping out the Andy Roddick Foundation, and
raising money for them. Also bringing pickleball to Austin and trying to make
that come together. »CHRISTINE: It has been a very exciting evening to have Andy
Roddick, Amer Delic, Scott Moore and Kyle Yates out here on the court.
»SCOTT: We had Andy Roddick here representing his foundation. First time ever
to play pickleball. Kyle Yates and I got to play with him, as did Christine. And we just
had an amazing time. »KYLE: And we just played some pickleball with them and hopefully, you know, raised some money for
their foundation. »ANDY: This is time #1 playing pickleball. It's a bit of a learning curve, but
luckily everyone was nice enough to give me some time to adjust there at the beginning. But it's been
a lot of fun to play with some of the best players in the country your first time out. It was a bit of a
daunting task. But I help my own a little bit. There's still work to be done, but I really enjoyed it.
»AMER: Tonight was a blast. I thought it was a good turn out. Andy was
always competitive. I've known him since we were 15, so I knew that he was going to bring
competitiveness, even though this was his first time playing. »SCOTT: I thought he would take it a little lighter, but
he was very competitive. Probably the most competitive person I've ever been on a court with.
»KYLE: Growing up playing tennis, he was my favorite tennis player. So it was quite an honor for me to be on the same court
with him. It's one of my childhood dreams. I thought it would be tennis, but he was playing my sport,
pickleball. So I was really thankful he could make it tonight. It was really cool. »CHRISTINE: It's a big event.
We're really bringing together both sports, pickleball and tennis. »AMER: I think it's a
great tool for even some of the junior tennis players to come out and play some of this because
it's not just about blasting the ball. It's about quick reactions, but also
strategy and moving the ball around and playing with your partner, especially in doubles. »KYLE: I think
it was cool to have someone like that showing the tennis community that, hey, it's cool.
It's fun to play. Give it try. And clearly it seemed like he had a lot of fun tonight.
»ANDY: I'm just happy that the pickleball community of Austin showed up and I got to learn a new
game. »SCOTT: The coolest thing about it was that tennis and pickleball coming together
for a greater cause. »ANDY: We are here playing pickleball for the Andy Roddick Foundation.
»ROBERT: Andy Roddick Foundation helps kids from here and also local with summer programs
and sports and music and arts. It's an amazing program. »ANDY: The Andy Roddick Foundation has
been around since 2001 on the advice of a hero of mine named Andre Agassi.
And we run some of the best after school time programs. So after school and
in summertime we've really made an impact here on the east side of Austin and hopefully
we can go even bigger. »CHRISTINE: It was a great opportunity for us to work with Andy
Roddick and his foundation and really give some time back to the community.
»SCOTT: So I think it's happening more and more and people are giving back from the pickleball community.
And it's just a great gesture and something that's going to continue to make a difference in our communities.
»KYLE: This is a sport that it doesn't take a lot to play. If there's public courts, all you need is a paddle
and a ball. So I think it would be really cool for a lot of younger kids to start playing.
And that's what we're seeing. The USAPA just started a junior program. So there are
a lot more kids getting involved and playing. And so I think his charity sets up perfectly
just for the sport. There's plenty of kids that can come out and play and have a great
time. »AMER: Everybody can be plugged in and play right away, so
first time that I played I was accepted by everybody even though I didn't really know the rules.
I didn't know anything about the game. I knew sort of the basic principles.
But everybody is very accepting and I think that's what's going to help the sport, the growth of the sport.
»ANDY: I had heard about pickleball. I had never played it before. So, this has been a great opportunity. And
for a great cause. And so I certainly appreciate the invite.
»ANNOUNCER: In the last 15 years, the Andy Roddick Foundation has raised 15 million
dollars for expanding opportunities for young people.
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