006 | I Am the Dairy Queen

 

Morgan:  Today, I have the great pleasure to talk to a couple of friends of mine. Two players seemingly sponsored by Dairy Queen but actually sponsored by Selkirk. Along the way to a whole bunch of titles, this sibling duo has captured the hearts of Pickleball fans around the globe. I’m joined now by Riley Newman and Lindsey Newman-Adams.

 

Trying to Survive [0:45]

Morgan:  How are you doing, you two?

Lindsey:  Good, good. Trying to survive.

Riley:  We’re doing great. We’re still crazy over here but…

Morgan:  Trying to survive, yeah. Who’s more likely to bring out the kitchen knife at this point?

Lindsey:  Oh, I feel like I’m probably the more feisty one out of the two of us, so probably me. Riley grew up with five sisters, so he probably has more patience than any guy I know. So that would be with the kitchen knife, for sure.

Riley:  It’s a little game of hide and go seek just like when we were little.

Morgan:  (laughs…) Do you know all her general hiding areas where she’s likely to try to run away?

Riley:  I know all the exact hiding spots since we’re 3, you know? Now it’s just moving into different houses. But honestly, in this time, it’s been tricky trying to fill all the hours of the day but we’re just trying to stay positive, have a positive mindset and I know we’ll get through this all together, so just kind of push through.

Morgan:  Yeah, that’s a good attitude. Have you two been able to practice a little bit? I think it’s fair enough if you’ve got someone that close and someone who you’re going to be quarantining with more often than not. I think it’s too much of a danger for you two to go out and drill?

Riley:  Yeah, we’re fortunate to have some friends now in Arizona who has some Pickleball courts in their backyards, so we’re able to kind of get out there and play a little bit. We can’t sit around for three weeks without playing Pickleball now, that’s impossible.

Morgan:  No, no one can.

Riley:  So not really going to the public parks but more just going to people’s backyards and playing on their courts. Luckily, we have some good friends in Arizona.

 

In Sync [2:22]

Morgan:  It’s fair to say that you two, when you’re on the court together are pretty much in sync. Do you ever get a sense of watching other teams who – there are a lot of teams out there that play together almost exclusively? But no one generally has the same kind of rhythm together that I’ve seen you two. Is that something you actually noticed? Or is it just like, “No, we just focus on us. Everyone else can do their own thing.”

Lindsey:  Yeah, I don’t think – I mean, I think in terms of that aspect, we’re just focused on our core positioning and movement, and what we need to do to be as successful as we can and win as many matches as we can. So I don’t think we’re necessarily looking at other teams like their movement or they’re jiving together sort of thing. We’re more looking at the open court and their strengths and weaknesses, that sort of thing. But in terms of good partnerships, who works well and who doesn’t, that’s not something really super high on the list for us, I don’t think.

Riley:  I think it is one of our strengths. Growing up, playing tennis and all these sports together, we kind know where each other is going to be at on the court which is super helpful. And now, just going on probably year #2 of Pickleball, now we can really iron out, “Okay, am I going to take this shot? Is Lindsey going to take it?”

Now, we know exactly what we’re going to do before the other person hits it. It’s a huge leg up on our competition where just kind of growing up together and now we’re just super comfortable with one another on the court.

Morgan:  That’s fantastic. Yeah, it does seem like what you said is true. You’re always one step ahead.

Riley:  Right.

Morgan:  So you two played tennis together? You were a mixed doubles team?
Lindsey:  Yeah, we were mostly battling on opposite sides of the court. We were both pretty decent singles players. We both gravitated towards singles just because all the glory was on us or all the losses were on us, and we really liked that. Because we grew up on a really small island and we didn’t have a big tennis club or even that big of a tennis community, our biggest and best competition were each other. So we would play for hors against each other and very, very often times it would get so heated and so bad that sometimes rackets were thrown – I won’t say, Riley. Mom and dad as line judges on both sides of the net. It was more intense that you would probably imagine even at 9, 10, 11, 12 years old. But I think we’ve always kind of said that if we didn’t have each we probably won’t be the athletes that we are today. I think deep down, we’re pretty thankful for those long battles and not talking on the car ride home because it made us that much better.

Morgan:  You said you grew up on a small island? I grew up on an island as well. But mine was probably a little big.

Lindsey:  I bet yours is way bigger though, right?

Morgan:  Maybe, I mean Australia is a good size, I guess, as far as islands go.

Riley:  You did have to take a ferry to get to the island. You drive on your – have you been on a ferry before, Morgan?

Morgan:  Have I been on a ferry? I think so, yeah. So where was this? Is this in Washington?

Riley:  Yeah, so it’s about 30 minutes north of Seattle. Then, we would take a ferry to get to the island, then we’re about a 15-minute drive off the ferry boat to our home island. We actually were raised on a golf course. Just middle of seven siblings, so any time that we didn’t see golfers, we run up there and putt around, putting contest.

Morgan:  That’s fantastic. I went and did that exact thing yesterday. I snuck into a golf course with my brother and we had a putting and chipping contest for two hours.

Lindsey:  (laughs…)

Riley:  We had a ping-pong table in the backyard, you name the sport, indoor basketball, we were getting after it.

Morgan:  Yeah, that’s fantastic. So what was the name of the island?

Riley:  Whidbey Island.

Morgan:  Whidbey…

Riley:  Yeah, Whidbey Island, you would drive your car on to the ferry and about a 15-minute crossing.

Morgan:  Would be on the mainland if it wasn’t an island, something like that?

Lindsey:  (laughs…)

Riley:  (laughs…) Well, I guess you could say that. But it’s kind of known for like a Navy base on the northside of the island. A lot of people live on the northside but we were on the southside where not too many people live. Actually, there was only one fast-food restaurant. Could you name the one fast-food restaurant that was on this side of the island?

Lindsey:  Putting you on the spot, Morgan. Come on!

Morgan:  Oh, I’m guessing it’s In-N-Out

Lindsey:  What?

Riley:  What? No!

Morgan:  Well, I don’t know…

Lindsey:  Morgan, who are we? What’s our favorite fast-food spot?

Riley:   What do we always talk about?

Morgan:  Oh, Red Robin?

Lindsey:  What?
Morgan:  No, McDonald’s.

Riley:  Oh jeez!

Lindsey:  What kind of a quack are you?

Riley:  We got to edit this out.

Morgan:  Well, okay, okay.

Lindsey:  It’s Dairy Queen!

Morgan:  Dairy Queen! Okay, look I…

Riley:  That’s where our blizzards are…

Morgan:  That’s right. Okay, I didn’t think that was a fast-food chain.

Lindsey:  Come on, you got to know your audience.

Morgan: That seems like more of an ice cream shop, isn’t it?

Lindsey:  Yeah, it’s mostly known for the ice cream. I know a lot of them in Arizona just have the ice cream. But some other ones have food too, so they’re like the typical chicken strips and fries and hamburgers and that sort of thing.

Morgan:  Okay.

Lindsey:  Luckily, ours had both food and ice cream, so we were constantly satisfied.

Morgan:  This is where it all went wrong, isn’t it?

Lindsey:  You know, no one’s really ever called us fast on the cour because I think we’ve had so much Dairy Queen in our lifetime that we’re a little bogged down from it.

Riley:  All the Blizzards.

Lindsey:  All the Blizzards and ice cream really goes to our hips and our waists, so we haven’t really been called fast on the court.

Morgan:  Lindsey Newman, you are the Dairy Queen, let’s be honest.

Lindsey:  Yeah, I am the Dairy Queen.

Morgan:  Riley, you get to be King, Dairy King or whatever that is.

Riley:  Yeah, I got to get a sponsorship from Dairy Queen. That’s what I’m working on.

Morgan:   You really should. Once they listen to this podcast, I feel like I’m going to be fired.

Riley:  Yeah.

Lindsey:  We’ll get a lot of calls.

Riley:  There’s an open sleeve on my shirt, so I’ll just wait for the DQ patch.

Sponsor: CoachME Pickleball 

 

Let’s Talk Nutrition [9:31]

Morgan:  That’s good stuff there. Okay, let’s get back to the interview.

As a team, and I’m just throwing myself in the mix there because I’ve done a little of coaching for you. But we’ve talked about your nutrition and what kind of things you eat during a competition, before a competition. Has it had any effect at all? Do you still generally go for McDonald’s breakfast or Dairy Queen breakfast?

Lindsey:  (chuckles…) Well, Dairy Queen doesn’t serve breakfast, so we won’t go to Dairy Queen for breakfast, that’s for sure.

Morgan:  Okay.

Lindsey:  Before we had our chat with you, we definitely hit up the McDonald’s drive-thru quite a bit and things of that nature. After we had our sitdown with you, we did make a very conscious effort to try to do a little better. I don’t know how we would have rate ourselves on that?
Riley:  I think we’re certainly better, I think we’re doing a better job. I’m definitely hydrating before and after matches, having some those nutritional bars.

Lindsey:  We both bought B12 vitamins – I think it was B12 vitamins, right?

Morgan:  Oh good. Now, did you actually put them in your mouth and swallow them? Because they don’t work if they just still in the bottle.

Lindsey:  Yeah, well no because we only like the chewy kind.

Morgan:  Oh.

Lindsey:  We bought the chewy kind because it reminds us of candy.

Morgan:  Oh Flinstone’s Chewable Vitamin B?
Lindsey:  Yeah! So we actually bought some B12 vitamins. I know Riley went to the store and got those zinger things or whatever. So we’re trying, you know? Typically, you just have to tell us once or 10 times to do something before we actually do it.

Morgan:  Oh you two. Firstly, how are you exactly? A lot of people think you’re twins but you’re not actually twins, are you?

Lindsey:  No, we’re not. I’m 29, and Riley is 26, almost 27.

Morgan:  Oh, Riley, you got a birthday coming up.

Riley:  Yeah, I’ll be 27 in June, so hopefully it’ll be a good year for me.

Morgan:  We’re all just hoping tht everyone on this podcast currently is going to survive until June. I feel like we’ve got a good chance, right?

Riley:  Oh jeez.

Lindsey:  That’s true. Preach!

Riley:  Preach!

Morgan:  Well, in that case, you haven’t hit the big – neither one of you have hit 30 yet and that’s where a lot of people say metabolisms start changing a little bit. That’s when I first started to have to kind of take my diet somewhat seriously, and I still don’t that badly. But during competition times…

Riley:  I think we always usually go with the quicker option. But now we’re realizing playing 7 or 8 matches a day against these tough, tough teams, we’re realizing that McDonald’s Egg McMuffins in the mornings are not going to cut it until 5 PM.

Morgan:  Excellent.

Riley:  Thanks to the ME coaching, we’re doing a little better job at that.

Morgan:  Oh, I don’t even have to do my own plugs anymore. This is brilliant!

Riley:  You’re welcome!

 

Against Mr. McGuffin [12:16]

Morgan:  Riley, I have a question. So growing up playing tennis, you played against Mr. McGuffin a few times. What was it like playing against him as a tennis player, and then finally playing against him in Pickleball, and then teaming up with him?

Riley:    Yeah, I played against him once. It was at the Bellingham Open but I remember it like it was yesterday. We would actually play for some cash prizes. So we all graduated from college by that point, and it was in the summer. I remember the one match where he was in the finals, of course, because Tyson’s going to be in the finals. And it was 3 to 4 hour long, long match, just the longest points you could ever imagine just grinding out. I think Tyson went through about seven different t-shirts, still wearing the short shorts that he’s known for today.

Morgan:  Wow!

Riley:  It was a battle. It was an absolute battle. He actually ended up winning it, so you’re welcome for that, Tyson. I think he got the better of me on that one.

No, it was really fun playing against him. He was an absolute warrior, just what you see in Pickleball, it was like that in tennis too. And so, when he asked the partners for 2020, I knew that it was going to be a fun ride. So far, I’m enjoying it.

Morgan:  I remember back in I think early 2019, talking to him about the future and posing the question to him, if he and I weren’t playing together, who does he think would be a good pick, and your name came up a few times. There were a few other players he was kind of looking at. I know Mr. Loong, those two were going to play a few. But when you look at the core willpower and drive that you both share on the court, it does seem like there’s a unanimous, never-say-die spirit that drives you, and you’ve already had some great results. So good job, guys! Jeez!

Riley:  Right. That’s definitely one of our strengths. I know that Tyson’s going to bring it mentally and physically every match, and so then I could kind of worry about myself on my end of the court where if I focus on me, I know Tyson will do his job and I know that the results will come if we just both take care of what we can control on the court. Tyson’s a warrior, man, so I’ve enjoyed playing. I think we’ve done four tournaments this year and each tournament we’ve got on the podium and got a gold under our names so far. After your 2019 Hawaii Open gold, I couldn’t come back with anything less than that, after you set the bar so high, so I had to come up with a gold myself.

Morgan:  And you did. That’s very impressive. It’s an interesting tournament out there. Did you find the humidity to be kind of – well, I didn’t come to this one obviously, but better or worst than US Open in Atlanta?

Lindsey:  I think it was way – it wasn’t nearly as bad. I thought the US Open was probably the worst tournament humidity-wise.

Morgan:  Yeah.

Lindsey:  I think Riley and I both kind of struggled last year with it.

Riley:  Hawaii wasn’t too bad this year. There’s probably about 30% to 40% humidity.

Morgan:  Oh nice!

Riley:  About 70°, that ocean air coming off, it was really nice.

Morgan:  That sounds lovely!

 

Pickleball Trivia [15:31]

Morgan:  I think it’s time for another episode of Pickleball Trivia…

Welcome to Pickleball Trivia. I’ve got a couple of contestants on the line ready to do battle. First, we’ve got Jane Paulson from Portland. How are you doing, Jane?

Jane:  Great! Thanks for having me, Morgan.

Morgan:  Pleasure, pleasure. How have you been spending your time during this tough time, let’s be honest.

Jane:  Doing what you got to do. Doing my work, trying to deal with a teenager who has baby-like hours; up at night, sleeping during the day, working on that.

Morgan:  Oh, that doesn’t sound like fun.

Jane:  Sounds like a teenager, right?

Morgan:  (chuckles…) Well, hang in there.

Your opponent today is none other than Mr. Matthew Sparks from Ohio. How are you doing, Matthew?

Matthew:  Doing great, Morgan. Thanks for having me.

Morgan:  Yeah, you’re welcome. Are feeling confident about your chances against Jane?

Matthew:  Not at all.

Morgan:  Okay, well at least you’re honest, jeez!

Okay, so this is Pickleball Trivia. Contestant #1 will be Jane. You will have the serve to start with. You’ll be asked a Pickleball-related question. If you get it right, you keep the serve, get your point and you move on to answer more questions. If you get it wrong unfortunately or you pass, then it is a side out and Matthew will have a chance to score. First player to get to 5 points has bragging rights and essentially priceless Selkirk gift voucher. It could be millions, it could be $20 but it might be substantially more – who knows?

Are you ready to do battle?

Jane:  Ready.

Matthew:  Ready.

Morgan:  Fantastic!

Jane:  Bring it, Morgan!

Morgan:  Oh, it will be brought. You don’t even have to worry about that.

Jane:  (laughs…)

Morgan:  Alright, Jane, this first question is for you: The Nasty Nelson is named after which player?

Jane:  Do I get a multiple choice?
Morgan:  No. I mean you could but I would have to literally list every player and there’s a lot of us.

Jane:  Charles Nelson.

Morgan:  Charles Nelson, I have not met Charles. Unfortunately, that is incorrect which means Matthew, you get a chance to steal the point and take the serve. Nasty Nelson, named after which player?

Matthew:  I will pass. I have no clue.

Morgan:  Okay, so passing would mean it would be going back to her. You might just get it right. Nothing to lose.

Matthew:  Bob Nelson.

Morgan:  Bob… Oh, inches away from greatness. Bob couldn’t make it, unfortunately. It is Tim Nelson.

Oh well, okay, so no points but that means Jane, you keep the serve.

Jane:  Oh excellent. Still on serve.

Morgan:  Yeah, you’re still on serve, don’t you worry.

Who were the three gentlemen that were said to have invented the game of Pickleball?

Jane:  My gosh! These are hard questions.

Morgan:  I’m so sorry.

Jane:  I would say Joel Prichard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCollum.

Morgan:  Congratulations! Well done. You are on the board. I’m proud of you.

Jane:  Thank you very much!

Morgan:  Next question for you, Jane: With the nickname El Condor, which player was recently admitted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame?

Jane:  He’s from our area.

Morgan:  Yes.

Jane:  Yes, can I check my Facebook friends? How long do I get?

Morgan:  No, no, you do not. You have five seconds. I feel like if it’s on the tip of your tongue…

Jane:  Enrique Ruiz.

Morgan:  Oh did you check your Facebook?

Jane:  No, I did not.

Morgan:  Okay, we’ll give it to you.

Jane:  I couldn’t do it that fast. The millions of friends, you know, it just wouldn’t load that fast.

Morgan:  Fair enough. Well, congratulations, you get the point and you continue.

Jane:  I played with him. I should know that right.

Morgan:  And turns out you did.

Jane:  First time I played with him, he did – this may shock people, drop shot return then lobbed over our heads. I could barely play Pickleball. He had fun though.

Morgan:  Okay, well as long as he had fun, that’s the important thing.

Jane:  It was fun. It was quite an introduction.

Morgan:  Okay, so you get to continue here.

Yoda refers to which famous Pickleball player?

Jane:  It’s another one I know. Friedenberg.

Morgan:  Yeah, got to be more specific. It’s not like Heisenberg from Breaking Bad. He has a first name and we will need it.

Jane:  I can’t go with Yoda Friedenberg?

Morgan:  No…

Jane:  I got the Friedenberg.

Morgan:  Yeah, you did, you did.

Jane:  That doesn’t count?

Morgan:  And I’m semi-proud of you.

Jane:  Alright, should I throw it out there since I already lose if I don’t get it?

Morgan:  I would, yeah.

Jane:  Okay. Mark Friendenberg.

Morgan:  Oh you got it!

Jane:  Boom! Boom! See, I played against him too once. He’s a great player.

Morgan:  He is a good player. He’s deceptive, very deceptive.

Jane:  And the short hop return…

Morgan:  I actually did that to him in an indoor tournament literally I think two or three months before he needed to have hip surgery, two or three times in a row. I felt like a horrible person but…

Jane:  (laughs…)

Morgan:  Okay, so that means you get to continue here. You’re only two points away from victory. We’ve never had a shut out, so Matthew, you’re going to have to get you back in the game somehow.

Matthew:  I haven’t even served yet. (laughs…)

Morgan:  This is true. Well, you had a chance to steal a point and serve but…

Matthew:  That is true but yeah.

Morgan:  Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs played a legendary tennis match called Battle of the Sexes in 1973. In 2017, two Pickleball players attempted the same feat. Who were they?

Jane:  Simone Jardim and Scott Moore.

Morgan:  Jane, you’re a machine!

Jane:  I happened to have watched that one. You know, Morgan, I’m kind of new to Pickleball, newer now compared, so I watched it.

Morgan:  You watched it? Very good, very good.

Alright, so that means you’re only 1 point away from a complete shut out.

Jane:  Now he’s looking for a stumper.

Morgan:  No, no, no.

Alright, for the win: What is my middle name? That’s a Pickleball-related question.

Jane:  (laughs…) I appreciate the background help. Daniel.

Morgan:  Daniel, no, no. That’s a different Pickleball person.

Matthew, this might be asking a lot but I believe in you.

Matthew:  I’m going to say between Morgan Evans Daniel would sound really good.

Morgan:  Okay, so you do know Jane went with Daniel.

Matthew:  Oh no, I didn’t. I was saying she did a good guess. That sounded good, so my guess would be James, my son’s middle name. Let’s hope it’s that.

Morgan:  Oh, okay. It is, unfortunately, not James. It is actually Morgan.

Jane:  Oh, a trick question.

Matthew:  Oh…

Morgan:  It’s a weird one, I know.

Matthew:  But what’s your first name? Or are you Morgan Morgan?

Morgan:  That would be weird, wouldn’t it? No, actually my first name is Robert.

Jane:  I should have known that if I knew my history.

Morgan:  Yeah, Robert Morgan Evans.

Alright, so Jane, that means you keep the serve. Who won the Women’s Senior Pro Singles in original US Open? The very first, inaugural.

Jane:  Do I get a year?

Morgan:  No, it was the first year. I mean I could tell you which year was the first year.

Jane:  Okay, that would help.

Morgan:  It was 2015.

Jane:  Oh, 2015…

Morgan:  Sorry, no, 2016, my bad.

Jane:  Oh, 2016. Cammy MacGregor.

Morgan:  It was not, unfortunately. Incorrect. Matthew, you get a chance to steal this one.

Matthew:  You said senior?

Morgan:  Yes.

Matthew:  Lucore.

Morgan:  You’re going with Jen Lucore?

Matthew:  Yes.

Morgan:  Unfortunately, that is incorrect. The correct answer is Bonnie Williams.

Jane:  Wow! Go, Bonnie. I should have got that. She’s from here.

Morgan:  Yeah, Jane, I was with you. I really thought you had a chance to close it up.

Jane:  I know!

Morgan:  Luckily, you keep the serve and you still have a chance to win this.

What year was the first ever official Pickleball tournament?

Jane:  Oh my gosh! 1984.

Morgan:  That is incorrect. You were just throwing darts in the dark, weren’t you?

Jane:  (laughs…)

Morgan:  Alright, that means Matthew, you get a chance here, bud. What year?
Matthew:  1976, the year I was born. Let’s go with that.

Morgan:  ’76? That is correct! Congratulations!

Matthew:  Did you guess that? I mean, did you know that? Did you guess it?

Matthew:  I guessed it. It’s the year I was born.

Morgan:  Okay, well, that’s a good year! Good year for Pickleball, good year for Matthew’s. Alright, very nice! That means you are on the board and you get a chance to close the gap right now. We’ve got Jane with 4 points, you have 1.

Matthew:  At least I’m on the board.

Morgan:  You are, yeah.

In a typical game to 11, each side is allowed two timeouts. However, how many timeouts are allowed in a game to 15?

Matthew:  I’m going to say still two timeouts.

Morgan:  Alright, buddy! I’ve stumped a few people on that one. Well done, well done. Congratulations, that is correct. So you’re moving on, another chance.

Matthew:  Thank you.

Morgan:  Which major network was first to air a major Pickleball championship?

Matthew:  I’m hoping it’s CBS Sports.

Morgan:  That is correct!

Matthew:  Alright!

Morgan:  Yes, and you added in the Sports bit. That’s crucial.

Matthew:  It wasn’t on regular CBS, so yeah.

Morgan:  No, no, definitely not.

Alright, the next question for you. You’re doing well. Do you feel like you’re in a bit of a run? Are you feeling confident?

Matthew:  Yeah, I feel some confidence now.

Morgan:  Good man, good man.

What is the maximum total dimension of a USAPA-approved Pickleball paddle? So this is the total dimension, length plus width.

Matthew:  27.

Morgan:  27 is incorrect, unfortunately. Oh, jeez, I had high hopes for you, mate. I don’t think Jane’s going to get this one wrong. I think she knows her math but I could be wrong.

Jane, you have the chance to steal the point and the win. The maximum total dimension?

Jane:  19.

Morgan:  19? Unfortunately, that is incorrect as well. I’m so sorry, Jane. You had a chance to finish it.

Jane:  What is it?

Morgan:  It is 24 inches.

Jane:  That was my first guess! Go with your first guess.

Morgan:  You got to go with your first one.

Jane:  I know.

Morgan:  Okay, that means Matthew, you keep the serve and a chance to continue points.

Matthew:  Alright.

Morgan:  With a booming voice, which famous referee is originally from Ghana?

Matthew:  Oh, I can see it in my head. She’s going to get this. I can’t think of his name. In Michigan, he ref’d one of my matches at the Beer City Open but I can’t think of his name.

Morgan:  Are you going throw out a guess there?

Matthew:  No, because I don’t want to mispronounce it to the point where it’s embarrassing, so I will pass.

Morgan:  Fair enough. Well there’s chivalry in that. There’s honor in not mispronouncing his name.

Okay, this means Jane, you got a chance for the win. Who is it?

Jane:  Byron Freso.

Morgan:  Byron Freso, for the win. Congratulations!

Jane:  Byron!

Morgan:  Jane Paulson from Portland, you are now basically the pride of Portland.

Jane:  (laughs…) I appreciate that.

Morgan:  Well done!
Matthew, unfortunately, no prizes for you. But did you have fun anyway?

Matthew:  I had an absolute blast. Thank you so much!

Morgan:  Good stuff. Whatever we can do to pass the time and give people some light to listen to.

Jane:  Thanks for doing it, Morgan.

Morgan:  Pleasure! Thank you both for coming on and we’ll see you again soon, on the courts hopefully.

Jane:  On the courts. Cheers!

Matthew:  Take care!

Morgan:  Alright, take care, guys! Cheers!

[background music plays]

Morgan:  Well, that was Pickleball Trivia. I’ve seen better, I’ve seen worst. Let’s get back to the Newman’s.

 

Back to the Newman’s [27:48]

Morgan:  So for you two, growing up obviously up in the Pacific Northwest, when you do going to have to play tournaments out in Atlanta or Naples, Florida, do you find that your body doesn’t react well? Do you have to do different things especially when the ball is so soft and the rallies go for so much longer? Does it change anything for you two?

Lindsey:  I don’t think so. I think Riley and I are kind of the last people we think to make – I don’t want to say excuses but just – I guess excuses is the right word. I mean for us, it’s like we’re not the only people that have to deal with the humidity or the court conditions or this and that. So you know if we can’t control it, it’s going to be something that we’re really not going to worry about. We’re out there to do one job and that’s to win. So whatever it takes to do that, whether it’s playing in a lot of humidity, whether it’s playing in a lot of win or about the different kind of ball that we’re doing to use, that stuff really doesn’t come on our radar. It’s really not stuff we worry about.

Riley:  I think we were going to do this year as opposed to different from other years, I was trying to get Lindsey to go out to Florida a little bit earlier than normal, give ourselves just a couple of days, have the body acclimate to that humidity because it is tough. I mean coming from Arizona, it’s just the dry heat, so I really wanted her to get out there a couple of days before the event. I think I was on the right track, then obviously the tournaments are canceled. But I think going out a couple of days earlier, getting used to it really helps the body.

Morgan:  It’s a huge benefit. Riley, I know – well, you both play singles as well. We’re you planning on playing singles at the US Open?

Riley:  Actually I was not. I was not going to play singles and just focus on Men’s Dob’s and mix.

Morgan:  Well, both of those you certainly have a very good chance to win. But I’d be sad if I didn’t see you play singles anymore, mate. You had a good run.

Riley:  I know. Yeah, even World Florida, to even got on the podium there. But to be honest, it’s such a grind in singles and I kind of have bad knee from basketball. It’s an old basketball injury, and you know usually singles events are the first tournament draws of the weekend. So then it’s like I’m breaking my body and then I’m tired and sore for my epic men’s and mix matches. So it just makes more sense to just cool it a little bit with the singles and just focus on men’s and mix.

Morgan:  Good man. I came to the same conclusion I think in 2016, something like that. It was just to much of a tax and I felt like I couldn’t give my best game in doubles which in term be letting my partner down.

Riley:  Exactly. And the prize money usually is not as good as the doubles, so it’s like you break your body for less dough, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Morgan:  Yeah, it’s a whole lot less Dairy Queen.

Lindsey:  And that means a lot to use, you know that.

Morgan:  It does. It is amazing, you two.

 

Ultra Competitive [30:55]

Morgan:  One thing I realized about you two early on is with having so many siblings, big household, there’s what? 9 of you? 10 of you?

Lindsey:  There were seven of us, kids.

Morgan:  And then a couple of adults somewhere along the lines, I’m hoping.

Lindsey:  And our two parents, yes. So nine Newmans in total.

Morgan:  Yeah. So the kind of hunger, and I don’t mean physical – may be physically as well at some point…

Lindsey:  Well, that’s true, yeah.

Morgan:  (laughs…) But the kind of drive to one-up, in this case, just your siblings. There’s a hunger that a lot of people won’t ever experience unless they have to. You look at kind of eastern European tennis players, for example who often their profession is a way to get out of poverty. I’m not saying you guys were in that exact situation but it would appear that it’s kind of added to your drive and determination to put slightly higher quality meals in the table, hopefully.

Lindsey:  Yeah, I mean we’ve always been very open that we grew up with mostly only my dad working. There are seven of us kids and my mom and dad, and we had such a blessed childhood and we absolutely love every single second of it. But growing up in such a big, competitive family, it really was like the Hunger Games meaning you’re always trying to outdo the next person. You never want to be last, you always want to be first. That sort of mentality has really stuck with us throughout our entire lives of playing sports. Even just doing other things, that’s one of the reasons why we have done as well as we have, is because we just are so obsessed with trying to be the best and knowing that we’ll spend six hours on the court to get the desired outcome we want and there is not anything that we won’t do.

Riley:  Yeah, and even going back to the dinner stuff, there are seven siblings, so you go in and line up for your spaghetti, and everyone files through. You’re usually pushing because you want to get the first batch. And if you don’t, you got to really eat quickly because if you don’t, then shoot, you’re not going to get seconds. So everything you did even at the dinner table or the sport courts, it was always looking over your shoulder with your siblings and just ultra competitive.

Lindsey:  It was constant. We even had a basketball hoop in the living room growing up, and to determine who had to brush their teeth first we would do free throw competition with a little, plastic, orange ball. It was the one thing my parents instilled in us was being competitive and wanting to win and that drive to absolutely do whatever it took to win. So that was something they started really early on and it’s something that even us being outside of the house and being on our own, it’s something we haven’t lost yet.

Morgan:  So essentially, your advice to all your fans is that if you want your kids to really succeed in life, make sure you have at least seven of them.

Lindsey:  Well, I mean I would say at least put a basketball court in the living room. Maybe not don’t make enough for seconds, make them fight over it, that sort of thing.

Morgan:  You guys should write a book.

Lindsey:  Yeah, I think so. I don’t know how many copies we would sell.

Riley:  Number one seller right there.

Morgan:  Yeah, yeah. “The Newman’s Guide to Life and Pickleball”

Lindsey:  Yeah. I think we’ll have pretty competitive kids, that’s for sure.

Riley:  No doubt, no doubt.

 

Sibling Rivalry Gameshow [34:32]

Morgan:  Alright, now we’re going to move into a little bit of a sibling rivalry gameshow here. As you know, I’ve asked you both to come up with some questions that you think might stump the other person.

Lindsey:  Okay.

Riley:  Okay.

Morgan:  I’m going to go back and forth and we’re going to see who comes out on top. We’re going to see who knows each other best.

Lindsey:  Okay. Now, Morgan, if you had to guess, who would come out on top in this game?

Morgan:  Well, jeez, I’m going to say Haley.

Lindsey:  Haley! (laughs…)

Riley:  (laughs…) You’re playing the mutual card. I play that all the time.

Morgan:  I’m going to split the difference. Somehow, she’s going to turn up and win.

Lindsey:  Oh, come on.

Morgan:  Yeah, I’m going to go with Switzerland on this one.

No, if I was to guess, I would usually go with the older sibling.

Lindsey:  Oh, okay. Interesting.

Riley:  Hey, well you better keep the scoreboard tallies over there.

Lindsey:  Yeah, keep it for sure. This is not going to be for fun, that’s for sure.

Morgan:  Alright, Riley, are you ready?

Riley:  Let’s do it.

Morgan:  What was the make and model of Lindsey’s very first car?

Riley:  Oh, I’m pretty sure it was a green Kia Forte?

Morgan:  Is that correct?

Lindsey:  You got the green right. It was actually a green Ford Focus…

Riley:  Oh shoot!

Lindsey:  That I spend my own hard working money on.

Riley:  Do I get half a point for that?

Morgan:  I don’t know. No chance, sorry. She’s competitive.

Lindsey:  No, no, no.

Riley:  Oh, good question. Alright.

Morgan:  Okay, Lindsey, what is Riley’s go-to In-N-Out order?

Lindsey:  Oh, I’m actually pretty confident on this one.

Morgan:  Okay.

Lindsey:  I’m going to say a strawberry milkshake and then I’ll say a double-double plain.

Morgan:  Alright, tell me, Riley.

Riley:  And she got partial points as well.

Lindsey:  What?

Riley:  She forgot the French fries on top of that.

Morgan:  Oh okay.

Riley:  So just like I didn’t get the whole point, she doesn’t get it.

Morgan:  (laughs…) I have a funny feeling I know how the rest of this game is going to go.

Riley, your next question: What was the very first concert Lindsey went to? And you get a bonus point if you can guess who she was with.

Lindsey:  And, Morgan, I will just say I recently did a little questionnaire and it was all over Facebook. So Riley actually should know thi answer if he read the little tidbit that was featured on Facebook.

Riley:  I think I just saw it too. I’m going go with the initials of B.S., Britney Spears.

Lindsey:  Do you want to guess who I went with if that’s correct?

Riley:  I’m going to with…

Morgan:  Remember, that’s just a bonus point.

Lindsey:  It is just a bonus point. Actually, I don’t want to give him that option.

Britney Spears was my very first concert.

Riley:  Oh, I got it right. On the board!

Morgan:  Alright! Riley is in the lead.

Lindsey:  Dang! That hurts.

Riley:  Love it.

Morgan:  Okay, Lindsey, where is Riley’s dream professional tennis tournament to attend to in person?

Lindsey:  Oh, you know what, Morgan, just because it’s you, I’m going to say the Aussie Open.

Riley:  That was so bad of an accent. So bad!

Morgan:  That was so bad. Oh, Lindsey!

Riley:  You lose points for that accent.

Morgan:  You lose points for that, yeah.

Lindsey:  What? I honestly thought I was like a native of Australia.

Morgan:  Oh my god! Now, in fairness, if you went there and you didn’t anything to anybody, I think a lot of them would think you are Aussie. You have the look of a surfer girl.

Lindsey:  Thank you. And then I would throw in my natural accent and they’ll be like, “Oh my gosh! I feel like you’re my next-door neighbor.”

Morgan:  There’s no point for that. You’ve lost 7 points already.

Riley:  Morgan, don’t give her pity points, alright? But she is correct, the Aussie Open in Melbourne. I have got to go. It is on my list in the next few years here.

Morgan:  Very good. Okay, that’s 1 point apiece with two questions remaining.

Lindsey:  Okay.

Riley:  Okay. Tied it up.

Morgan:  Alright, Lindsey, what is Riley’s next big purchase for his new house in Arizona?

Lindsey:  Oh, that’s a good question. You know, I’ve been bugging him so much about redoing and upgrading his kitchen. And me being the wonderful sister that I am, I offered to help him with that. So I’m going to say it is a new kitchen remodel.

Riley:  (incorrect buzzer sound…)

Lindsey:  What?

Morgan:  Oh…

Lindsey:  Are you serious?

Riley:  The kitchen part is right but the number one thing I want to do is get a hot tub in my backyard.

Morgan:  Oh, okay.

Lindsey:  Well, what is it, Morgan, because he said the Kitchen was right but then he said he wants a hot tub.

Riley:  It’s my next big purchase is a hot tub.

Lindsey:  No, (incorrect buzzer sound…) wrong!

Morgan:  (laughs…) You two are terrible! Oh my god…

Riley:  No points awarded.

Morgan:  Okay, so that’s a hot tub.

Riley:  Hot tub, I got to get one.

Lindsey:  Why do you want to get one, Riley? Who’s going to be in there?

Morgan:  Oh, this has taken a turn, hasn’t it?

Riley:  No, I’m a single bachelor living it up in my own house. I think I just need some company.

Lindsey:  I know but what kind of company.

Riley:  I don’t think you need to know that, big sis!

Lindsey:  No, I think I do. I would like to know who’s going to be over there.

Riley:  Just…

Lindsey:  Morgan, are you kind of curious too, or is it just me?

Morgan:  I’m going to leave this one alone…

Lindsey:  Oh god! Come on, man!

Riley:  There we go!

Morgan:  Come on, you can’t put me in that.

Lindsey:  That’s so lame.

Morgan:  A man’s mancave is his own.

Riley:  That’s right. Uh-huh!

Lindsey:  Bros before hos!

Morgan:  Yes, and I think we’re okay with editing there, that should be fine. Everyone knows that expression.

Lindsey:  What?

Riley:  Get it out of here!

Morgan:  (laughs…) Oh, you two. We’re going to do this again next week. Okay, we’re moving on. We’ve got questions to ask here, people.

Alright, over to Riley: What is Lindsey’s favorite carnival or fair ride?

Riley:  Carnival fair ride? I really know she loves a good, old-fashioned bumper car.

Morgan:  Bumper car. Alright, is that correct, Lindsey?
Lindsey:  No, it’s the Scrambler. The only one on the Whidbey Island.

Riley:  Yeah, but with the bumper cars, you always try to beat people like you get really mad and nasty with it.

Lindsey:  Bumper cars I won’t lie, was a close second or third but it’s definitely the Scrambler. It was a classic at the Island County Fair.

Morgan:  Oh, the old Island County Fair where dozens of people came to hang out, I imagine.

Lindsey:  Dozens and dozens.

Riley:  We would stand in line to watch the Newman’s throw down all the milk bottles you could imagine.

Morgan:  Alright, we’re on to the last question here, guys.

Lindsey:  Okay, so we’re both tied, right? 1 – 1?

Morgan:  Yeah, yeah, you’ve got one each.

Lindsey:  Okay.

Morgan:  Lindsey, this is for you: What is Riley’s favorite thing to do in his hometown of Seattle?

Lindsey:  First of all, Seattle is not is hometown.

Riley:  It’s right next to it.

Lindsey:  Okay, this question is rigged. His favorite thing, I would say is to attend the games. Go, Mariners!

Riley:  She got it! Shoot!

Morgan:  She got it! Oh, Lindsey, congratulations!

Lindsey:  Coming in hot.

Riley: Our family are big, big baseball people. She got it, so okay, point awarded.

Morgan:  Okay, Lindsey’s got the point. This means Riley, the best you can do is tie here, okay? It’s not easy.

Riley:  Always settling for ties in this family.

Morgan:  (laughs…) But you may get to eat.

Riley:  Yeah, she is making tacos after this.

Morgan:  Alright, Riley, what is Lindsey’s favorite meal that mom makes?

Riley:  Oh, favorite meal that mom makes? Well, I don’t know if it’s the favorite but I know we had it probably 4 out of 7 days a week just because it’s the easiest to make, but I am going to go with corn weenie noddle which is pasta. Spaghetti!

Morgan:  Corn weenie… Alright, is that correct?

Lindsey:  Wow! I’m shocked you got that. That is correct.

Morgan:  Okay, and we have a tie! This is perfect.

Lindsey:  Stupid. Morgan, have you ever had a corn weenie noodle meal?

Morgan:  I can honestly tell you I definitely have not had a corn weenie noodle.

Lindsey:  Wow, that’s a bummer. Next time you’re on Whidbey Island, hit us up and you can have a Newman classic. Definitely not healthy. It feeds a lot of people for cheap.

Morgan:  Okay, I will write that down. Do you think, Lindsey, when you start making these babies, are you going to be creating that culinary masterpiece for your kids?

Lindsey:  Yeah, you know, I don’t think corn weenie noodle will be on the menu unless we have a big family affair going on here. I think because of your inspiration, Morgan, I’m going to feed my kids only organic, green-leaf vegetables.

Morgan:  Oh my… Okay, I never said that. I’m certain of it.

Lindsey:  That’s what it sounded like coming out of your mouth.

Riley:  Yes, it did.

Morgan:  Okay, well, you don’t catch me eating too many organic, green-leaf vegetables. But what I do have in the morning or basically every morning is like a super greens powder and I mix it with an amino acid thing, so it tastes okay. So I get like two or three serves of greens in this little powder form. It saves me having to worry about stuff like broccoli.

Lindsey:  But you don’t actually put like kale or spinach?

Morgan:  Oh no, no! It’s all in there but I don’t want to put sprouts or broccoli.

Lindsey:  Is it like really in there, though if it’s just a powder?

Morgan:  Yeah, yeah, I mean I trust the label. It’s pretty good. It gets good reviews.

Lindsey:  Okay, sure.

Morgan:  Good. Well, that’s the key to any good coach. Just trust me. Do what I say, not what I do really.

Lindsey:  Okay, I got it. Won’t argue.

Morgan:  Good girl. Well, I appreciate that.

Guys, this has been way too much fun. Are you happy to be coming back, do it again some time?

Lindsey:  Absolutely! Any time.

Riley:  Count us in!

Morgan:  Awesome! Fantastic! We will see you again soon.

Ladies and gentleman, that has been Team Newman, Riley and Lindsey Newman, the power couple, power sibling – we’ll definitely call it power sibling, shall we?

Lindsey:  It’s sibling for sure. Alright, thank you, thank you!

Riley:  Thank, Morgan! Appreciate you having us.

Morgan:  Alright, no worries. Take care, guys. Stay safe!

[background music plays]

Morgan:  That was the Newman’s. I’m Morgan Evans, and this has been More or Less Pickleball.

Sponsor: Selkirk Sport