Interview With Chris Karges

Hey, guys. This is Dr. John Marchesney with Stay Healthy Knoxville. I’m also the owner of Simply Physio. Today, I have the honor of interviewing Chris Kargis. She is a local pickleball expert. She is arguably the top and most decorated pickleball player and coach in the Knoxville area. Chris played tennis since she was very young, a former All-American tennis player from the University of Kentucky and served 15 years as tennis coach at Purdue and Northwestern Universities. She’s also considered the queen of pickleball here in East Tennessee. Originally from Illinois, Chris was drawn to Knoxville by a UT tennis coach, I understand, and fell in love with the area. When she’s not at Premier Pickleball Club, she’s a full-time pickleball professional playing and winning. In past seasons, she’s represented Austin Ignite as the National Pickleball League’s number one draft pick and also served as the team’s captain. And then she’s more recently been playing for Naples’ JBB United team in Florida. Chris entered her first national tournament in 2018 just hoping to win a match. Instead, she took home silver, and her pickleball career has skyrocketed since that time. She’s thrilled to take her experience and experience as a coach and bring that to the Knoxville area. She’s a high performance coach and also the director of pickleball at Premier Pickleball Club here in Knoxville, Tennessee. So, Chris, welcome to the show. Thank you very much. Thanks for having me. I’m excited about it. That was great. very generous intro thank you so much it’s uh yeah it’s all true and so uh i know you’re quite acclaimed you know pickleball player and have that reputation so excited to hear about your expertise um in the sport of pickleball i know it’s you know a sport that continues to grow in popularity um and just you know as we see new you know centers and pickleball places you know that seem to Every month or two, there seems to be just more opportunities to play because the demand seems like it’s there. But I’d love to hear your story. Maybe take us on how you play tennis your whole life, but then you transition to pickleball. So maybe start there of telling us kind of how that transition happened and what was part of that. Yeah, I was, you know, playing tennis, growing up playing since I was, you know, six or seven years old and just competing and then played in college, played a little bit professionally and then just really got into I love coaching. It’s a passion of mine. And so coaching juniors and then coaching college tennis. And so as I was coaching at a club, one of the members came up and just said she had found this new sport and it was pickleball. And I said, you know, I had not heard of it. And she was from a retirement community. And so I said, well, let me, you know, let me investigate some more. And so I just found a ambassador in the Knoxville area and had him come to the club and we taped down the lines and we kind of started and introduced the game. And I remember him afterwards saying, so do you play? And I said, no, but it looks great. It looks fun. And so I started kind of playing at that point, you know, I had no idea how to score and the rules, but you know, after an hour or so, it just, it was an easier transition for me coming from tennis to pickleball. And so I think a lot of tennis players, you know, pick it up maybe quicker than others. Same with a racquetball or ping pong background. So that’s kind of gives you a headstart into the game. So, you know, kind of let it go. And we, we talked about it. And so he came back to me and he said, Chris, do you want to play a tournament? And I’m like, a tournament, you know, I don’t know the rules. I don’t know scoring, but sure. Let’s have at it. So, um, you know, that was probably, uh, around 2018, um, started, you know, playing a tournament in Nashville and, you know, played in the, I think it was a four or four or five division. And I’m like, wow, these people are really good, you know? And I was like, I got to figure this game out. So it kind of got me hooked just playing my first tournament. You know, so played around with it and tried to connect with some players in town. Generally, there was a lot of more men than women playing at a higher level. So started playing a little more often. And so tournaments here and there, just, you know, not a lot, but a lot of local ones. And then this gentleman, Paul Slay, who’s still in the area, said, you know, do you want to play in the U.S. Open or Nationals? And I was like, holy cow, you know, there’s a U.S. Open or Nationals for pickleball? And I said, sure, why not? So that’s kind of how I got started. involved in the game um you know just just some people introducing it to me and kind of pushed me along to play tournaments i had no idea it was you could play it at that competitive of a level so that’s kind of how i got started and then you know as i got more into it um probably not 2021 was my first time playing um senior pro which means you have to be of the age of 49 or older And your ranking has to be a 5.0. So I kind of, you know, got hooked and started playing on the senior pro tour. That was in what year you said? That was 2021. 21, okay. Yeah, some senior pro tournaments. And first sort of breakthrough win was at the Tournament of Champions out in Utah and was able to get gold with a legend, Dane Gingrich. And, you know, from there, it just kind of blossomed. I mean, I think the hard thing for anyone in pickleball, in tournament play, is just finding great partners, you know, someone you connect with, you know, You could be of equal stature. They could be better. But it’s just connecting and having great communication. So that was what I really found. I really found some great people that introduced me to the game and some great partners. I still had a love for competing. And I’m like, I can still compete at this age of 50. So I was really drawn to that. So just started traveling around playing 12, maybe 12 or 15 tournaments. during the year and meeting new people meeting new partners and really got hooked into it so then you know I thought I was still teaching a lot of tennis you know I thought well I’d really like to pursue this and coach this game because it’s new to me it’s fun and I’m putting myself in a position where I’m around a lot of the best players, you know, so picking up some, you know, tendencies, idiosyncrasies, just learning the game from the highest level of player. So just a couple of years ago, the shot family, they had some property on Kingston Pike and they, I had known them from coaching them tennis. And they said, hey, we found this sport in Florida and we started playing it. And can we connect on it? So we just started talking and talking about the project at Premier. And here we are today. So just all those little connections along the way is what’s really neat about pickleball. I think if you talk to any of a pickleball player, they’ll talk about the relationships and the new friends they meet. And so that definitely happened for me along the way. Oops. Let’s see. How is that now? Oh, I got it now. Sorry about that. OK. No, I think I might have pressed the button there. I was just saying that I’ve played some, not a ton, but it seems to be very much a social sport. That’s one draw that I’ve seen from it. It’s competitive. um you know people can pick it up pretty quick it’s you know you can obviously you know take it and learn the nuances of the sport but at least to start off um the entry level skill set is pretty low to be able to just go out and have fun i think that’s a great point like i try to explain it to be to people it’s an easy entry sport so hard to master and that’s why i think you see all these people that are so addicted to it you know one more game one more game one more game And four hours later, they’re still playing. And the age entry, I think, is pretty easy, too. It’s a smaller court, smaller paddles. So we’ve started a junior program over at Premier. And I’d say five or six years old is a great age to start them. And then you could have a five- or six-year-old playing against a 90-year-old, which is pretty neat for the sport. So a great family game also. So there’s a big boom right now in the youth movement, even on the tours, big youth movement with the kids. So a lot more tournaments. So I’m really anxious to see these kids starting now, instead of starting in tennis and converting, they’re starting at five or six in pickleball and then taking it further. So I think that’s the new generation of pickleball players. Now, you know, sometimes, at least from the outside looking in, it seems to be there can be this perceived feud between tennis players and pickleball players. Was that ever, I don’t know, a hard transition because of that or you were kind of got in before that was so much of a thing? I think, you know, there’s some tennis players that have that mindset. I was just really open to it. It was a new game, a racket sport, and it was fun and social, you know, so I wasn’t, you know, as a tennis player offended by it. I think some tennis players are offended by it, be it the noise or all the pickleball players taking up their courts. And I was like, I think, you know, as I talk to other people in the sport, these can go hand in hand, you know, and let’s work together to build both sports. Definitely, because it’s a great transition, you know, from tennis into pickleball. Yeah. Now, I’d love to hear a little bit more because so so you’re a professional player, correct? I’m playing on the senior pro tour. I mean, I don’t play all year round now with premier opening. So the National Pickleball League, the NPL, this is our third year, my third year competing in it. And so it’s a team event for senior pro pickleball players. So my first two years I competed for Austin and now I’m competing for Naples and it’s a six month season, um, where we, you know, play matches and the championships here are coming up in October in Seattle. Um, so in between those times, um, I will play tournaments on usually on the APP tour, um, and still, you know, stay sharp competing. So I just, you know, love to connect with friends and colleagues, um, and partners and, uh, you know, keep competing as long as I can, you know, health, health wise. Yep. Um, the other thing I think it really does is helps me as a coach and a teacher. If I’m out there competing or playing, just seeing the new trends in the game, you know, cause it’s, it’s ever changing. Um, so I think that that’s very helpful in, you know, me being a director at premier and continuing to coach. Yeah, that’s interesting. I mean, I was talking to some friends. They were talking about the U.S. Open in tennis, and they were saying, and I’m sure there’s some relevance for pickleball, but how the tennis racket has changed. And so now the caliber shots they’re able to hit change. is on just a different level compared to where it was 10 years ago and i’d imagine there’s probably you know and that changes the game right so i’d imagine has there been even that within the time frame that like the equivalence if you will with pickleball And it’s paddles and now with balls also. So with paddles, they’re putting in, you know, restrictions. It used to be a lot on the grittiness or the spin. Now people are very concerned or the governing bodies with the deflection, you know, so the ball coming off the paddle, almost like a trampoline effect, just for people’s safety, you know, so they’re trying to govern the you know, how quickly the deflection comes off the paddle. And that’s why, you know, it’s important to wear glasses too, safety glasses, you know, that ball comes pretty quick and you’re not, it’s a small court. So they are right now working and governing with, it’s going on right now to make sure the paddles don’t get to the power level that You know, that’s over the top. So it’s trying to regulate the power level of the paddle. And same with balls. Some are, you know, faster, some are slower. So finding that, you know, balance where it keeps the game true to how it started. Yep. And now, so you’re representing Naples right now, right? So tell me a little bit more how the league works. So there’s a number of different teams? Yeah, so there’s 12 teams and six events over the course of the season, and they’re looking to expand that. To at least maybe four more teams next year. So it’s grown my first year. We just had six teams. So it’s continuing to grow. And it’s just a great event because it is a team sport. And again, it’s giving opportunity to people 49 and above. to continue to compete you know keeps our juices going um and how the league works there’s um 14 players per team seven men and seven women and at one time six will play so you’ll play three lines of women’s doubles and three lines of gender men’s. And then you’ll have your six doubles playing your six mixed doubles. And so, and you’re keeping a team score. So the team that gets to seven points will take that match. So we’re competing against these teams every weekend. Next weekend, we’re in Atlantic city as the Princeton team hosts the event. I love it because I also get to coach. If I’m not on the court, it’s not my time to play. I’m out there trying to help my teammates. I love that part of it. There’s a lot of camaraderie again with teammates. We have some great owners in the business. It’s continuing to grow every year. Is Naples one of the closest to the Knoxville area? Yes. Yes. So I was on Austin and they did some relocating last year trying to get players closer to their home for promotions, for clinics and that. So I was moved over to Naples. Okay. Well, um, you know, there’s a few other questions that we talked about, um, you know, heading into this, the podcast and one that we’ve kind of broached a little bit, but I’d love to hear more, you know, I mean, you experienced, you know, ultimately, you know, from starting off to being a newbie, you know, you obviously had talent, had talent, you know, I’m sure with your tennis background, um, in your experience, at least with, you know, being on the court. But if you’re talking about, you know, leveling up, kind of going through that transition where, like when you’re starting off, I guess, I mean, most people who play, they’re not really even rated, right? So maybe tell us a little bit of how that progression works and leveling up. They have a rating similar to tennis where we might start at a 2.5 level and work up past a 5.0 level up to the 6.0 level. So it’s similar to tennis rating. There’s a couple different Again, governing bodies doing different ratings. So still, Pickleball, I think, is trying to sort out the best rating system possible for all these people. So as far as us at Premier, you know, we’re trying to do sort of level up clinics, you know, and we do what’s called open play games where you might sign up for your level in the evenings. And at that time slot, at that hour and a half time slot, you’ll get to connect with that level of player. And so I think that’s great also where we’re playing with people above us and also slightly below us and then in the middle because everybody has a different style game. So in terms of ratings, it might be different from club to club also depending on their level of play. at their club. Tito and I, the other professional that runs Premier with me, we like to help people and rate people as we would see them playing in tournaments. You know, so if they would enter a tournament, we would try to get them that rating. Because we travel to a lot of tournaments and kind of can see the certain levels. So we base our ratings on what we might enter them in a tournament. Okay. Now, is that an official level? Like, do you… So we can certify them. The one governing body is duper. And so let’s say we have a couple members from the club that play a tournament and it’s duper sanctioned. So their results would go into that system. And depending on how they did, their rating could go higher or lower. And so once they’re in that system and are competing, their level can go up or down depending on who they’re playing against. And so, you know, ideally you’re just trying to get people connected around a similar level. And then everyone always wants to play higher, right? You always want to get better and play up and play higher. So we want to make sure we’re giving everyone that opportunity. Yeah. Well, what advice would you give, let’s say, a listener who’s maybe been more of a recreational pickleball player, right? But they’re wanting to take their game to the next level. Like, would that be entering a tournament? Like, kind of when would you consider that? What advice would you give somebody who’s wanting to make a little bit of a transition from just kind of the pure recreation and just fun to a little bit more competitive? Sure. I think number one, you know, maybe take some lessons and learn some of the more difficult skills in pickleball, which could be like a third shot drop, which is a hard skill to learn or dinking or resetting. So maybe get with a professional and kind of go over those parts of your games, you know, that could level you up, you know, as you’re trying to get from the 3-0 to 3-5 and or 3.5 to 4.0. So I’d seek professional advice, definitely. It’s worth investing in a lesson just to try and level up your game. The second thing I do is play tournaments, and that way you’re seeing how you perform in competition, which could be different than rec play, right? If we go out and watch Johnny in rec play, he might perform differently than than he does in a tournament, you know, because of nerves. And a lot of times in tournaments, you might not know your competition. You know, so you’re on the court, you have to figure out You know, how do I, you know, work on or beat this person today? You know, you’ve never, you might’ve never seen their game before. So tournaments are a great way and a great intro to see where your level might stand. And I just start in the local ones. I just start local tournaments. And then if you really like competing. Then you can go to some regional or sectional tournaments. But I would just start with the local ones and see kind of how you stack up. Are there tournaments pretty frequently, like here in the Knoxville area? All the clubs are having tournaments, and then as you go to Nashville or as you go – to atlanta so charlotte a lot within our region or or distance driving so i think it’s a great great opportunity um but some people don’t like competition so you know there might be another way you might join a league which is a little less pressure right um as we go back to the lessons another good way to learn is maybe take a lesson with your partner you know let’s say you’re going to play a tournament, you and I are going to play together. Well, we might seek out a pro and say, Hey, let’s work on our doubles game together. Cause I think for the most part, most people in pickleball like the doubles game or mixed doubles, which is a male and a female. You see, you see a lot of people playing that, you know, the social aspect. So you might take a lesson with your partner and work out, you know, your strengths and weaknesses with a professional and, You mentioned the topic on nerves, like somebody who plays differently, just kind of casually plays really well, but then goes into competition and maybe doesn’t play as well as they can. From your experience being a coach, I know you’ve had experience in that area. What advice or recommendations do you give somebody who maybe needs to strengthen the mental aspect of the sport? I think that’s like a question we get asked a lot, especially if they’re trying to break in and start starting to do tournaments. And my advice is always play more tournaments, play more tournaments, because the more you do it, the more comfortable you get, you know, and also just work on your breathing, because that’s something in tournaments, right? We get a little amped up. And work on your breathing. But the biggest thing is, you know, put yourself in that pressure situation more often. One way sometimes we do it with our clients is let’s say we’re practicing. You know, maybe keep score or put the score that it’s 9-9 and play a game from 9-9 or play a game from 6-all. Put yourself in that situation a little more often and see how you react. And usually, you know, we get a little better each time and it gets easier. Yeah, that’s a great suggestion of just kind of bring kind of like the do that. I know in tennis, they’ll have like a tie break set, you know, every point. Do they do they do something similar there on pickleball? Like almost like the pressure of the points, you know, the meaning of the each meaning of the point is so much more because it’s the tie break, right? Right, right, right. So maybe like in pickleball, you could compare that when it gets to 10-10, when the score is even, you have to win by two. You know, so then the pressure kind of really amps back and forth. And the other thing that’s a little different in pickleball is in traditional scoring, you can only score on your serve. So there’s different mindsets of when I’m serving or when I’m returning. When I’m serving, I can’t lose points, but when I’m returning, I can. So just when to be aggressive, when to be more aggressive, and when to play a little more conservative. Awesome. Well, tell me a little bit more. So understand Premier Pickleball. It’s a newer establishment here in Knoxville. You guys just started early. It was a spring of 25 of this year. Yes, just spring of 25. Yep. Okay. So you were kind of more or less recruited because of the connections that you knew. What’s that process been like for you being a part of kind of a startup, if you will, right? It is definitely a startup and it’s been incredible just because of the support of the Schott family who are very invested in this project. And also because of Tito, who’s a great professional in town. So we’re kind of in it together. We’re all there. We’re all hands on deck. You know, whenever someone needs something, we’re all there doing it together. So we really put an emphasis on our staff when we were kind of making decisions about building Premier. And we put the emphasis on having a cushion surface. So really nice courts helps on the joints, you know, and allows you to play longer. And. Also making sure our courts were kind of tournament style or regulation. So that means the spacing. So we have 10 feet behind the baseline and eight feet on the sidelines that allows for a big playing area, big playing surface. Sometimes clubs might try to add more courts in their space just to get more play. And we decided just, we want to space them out, give people plenty of room to move and, and make them nice and cushioned. So we kind of started out on that. And we also have a really nice outdoor space where we do a lot of events and birthday parties, receptions, a great gathering space. with turf and it’s got some great seating areas and it’s got a lot of yard games. I saw this set up when I was playing with Austin my first year at Chicken and Pickle which is a franchise and I thought you know if I ever do something like this I really like this vibe. So we’ve hosted a lot of events, a lot of parties, a lot of company outings, a lot of team building. So it’s a great indoor-outdoor space for parties and catering. So we also have that event space. I think that’s a big plus. And we try to really create an open, inclusive atmosphere. We’re based on a lot of open plays you know which means you might sign up on the app you might not know anybody at your level and you can sign into an open play and have an you know an instant game so you’re not hunting down partners So, yeah. Well, let me explain. You know, if somebody who’s really new, has never been a part of a club, and they’re interested in Premiere. So, first of all, I know you guys have a good location. Tell us where you’re located. we’re located at 10,001 Kingston Pikes or located out West. We like to use Calhoun’s as our landmark right across the street from Calhoun’s. So easy access off the highway down Kingston Pike. And so we also have an opportunity behind us to add on. And so this is our, yeah, this is our phase one, just this pickleball and, you know, outdoor space. So, Definitely we want to keep improving and looking to add on to the space behind us. So this is just our first phase. Okay. As we continue to grow. Yeah. Is there a specific plan for phase two, what that would entail? Well, we’re kind of looking at different options now for sure, but there’s a, you know, a lot of new sports coming in, you know, a lot of opportunity for wellness. I think that’s connecting a lot of pickleball places. There’s Padel and just the whole health wellness area where you’re taking care of your whole body and, And it’s more of a destination. So we might hang out Premiere to do a bunch of different things. And we want to kind of grab that customer. Nice. The other thing, if you’re a newbie at Premiere, would be we have a great app. And we work with OpenCore. And it’s called Premier Pickleball Club, and it’s got our blue and white logo on it. And so even if you’re interested in joining, what you would do is you just jump on the app and you can join from there. And you can also create a game, jump into any clinic, any lesson, or any open play. So it’s real user-friendly with the app. So we really like that direction we’re going with the app. Nice. And we’re 24-7 too. So 24-hour, 24-7. So as a member, you’ll have an access code and be able to get into the building anytime you’d like to play. So we have a lot of early risers, which is a great benefit. Nice. Well, I love, you know, as we’re, you know, talking even, you know, we’ve talked about all different levels. We have, you know, listeners who maybe really haven’t played before. What advice would you give to like, I mean, really much like pretty much a brand new newbie, somebody who’s considering wanting to try and it hasn’t tried yet. Any advice you’d give to that, that person? Well, Tito and I do some beginner clinics on Saturday mornings and Tuesday mornings. And so through this month, they’re free, but we’ll be offering these and just to try to get new people and beginners into the game, because I know it can be intimidating, you know, trying anything new. So there’s two of us there just helping. And so we have those on 9 o’clock on Saturdays and the same time on Tuesdays, kind of an easy intro to the game and explaining the scoring. And do you have to be a member then to do that? You do not. So you can be a non-member to do that. And we also can provide you with paddles. Okay. How would somebody register for that or is that needed? You can register on the app again. So Premier Pickleball Club, yes. And you’ll put your email in and then you’ll be able to book your reservation in the clinic. Okay. Awesome. That sounds pretty convenient. Very convenient. So it’s great. Yeah. So, yeah, so if you’re listening here to the podcast and you want to give Pickleball a try, be sure to download their app and take them up on the offer of getting some beginner lessons, some free beginner lessons. So that sounds like a great opportunity from the queen of the East Tennessee Pickleball, right? That’s right. So we love to teach. Tito and I love to teach every level. Awesome. We love it, and we have it at our club every level. Awesome. Well, what I’d love to do to kind of wrap up the episode here is just ask you some questions. Sure. I end this with all my guests about Knoxville. This is very much a Knoxville-centric podcast. It’s meant to highlight the local establishments, health and wellness, fitness here around Knoxville. So the first question here is, is there something on your bucket list maybe something to do around Knoxville or East Tennessee that you haven’t done yet, but you were like, man, I’d love to have a chance to do that. I’ve never been to Dollywood. Everyone always teases me, but I’ve never been to Dollywood. And I have a five-year-old nephew that’s coming into town, so I may have to hit that up. Take him up. Okay. Well, I just saw yesterday that they’re running a special. If you want to go for two days, they’re running a special where you can buy one and get the second one free. All right. If you want to attack it for two days. But great. So the next question is, what would you say your favorite place is to enjoy maybe outside around the Knoxville area if you were just wanting to go hang out someplace outside of Knoxville? I mean, I love Lakeshore Park. I live near it, and they constantly keep improving it. And they just put in, I think, six pickleball courts. But I think it’s a great space, beautiful trail, and just great for picnics, great for sports, great for kids. So I really like that area. Awesome. And then next question, do you have a favorite restaurant that you’d recommend here around Oxford? J.C. Holdway. Okay, that is a good one. Love it, love it. All right, and then a last one. If you could leave our listeners with what would you say your best tip or recommendation is for somebody who wants to just continue playing pickleball? They really enjoy this sport. Anything that you just kind of recommendation or tip that you would give somebody and they want to keep growing in that? Yeah. I would just, you know, keep at it, invest in a good paddle and then maybe invest in some lessons. Um, and doesn’t have to be a lot of lessons, but just, you know, talk to professional about, you know, how you could advance further if, if that’s of your interest. So, but invest in a good paddle and then, and keep at it and then, and maybe seek, you know, professional to help you get, you know, a little bit further one level up, um, You know, if that’s what you’re interested in doing. Anything that you look for in a paddle? Oh, gosh, they’re all there’s some great paddles out right now. I just look for one that there’s a lot of new ones coming out. And Tito and I both work with Selkirk. So we’re a Selkirk-sponsored club. So they help us out with balls, paddles, everything. But there’s so many great companies. I would just make sure you’re keeping up with the times in paddles because it’s constantly changing. The best advice I would say is… play with the most powerful paddle you can control. Okay. Because the game is becoming more powerful. So get one, but make sure you can control it. If I can’t control that paddle, then let’s notch it down. Okay. All right. And then the last one, I know you’ve mentioned, but the best way to get in contact with you, is that through the app or how would, if somebody is wanting to, let’s say maybe get a lesson with you, what’s the best way to get in contact? I mean, they can, um, I’m on Instagram and Facebook, so direct messaging is always very easy. I check those messages a lot. Where would they find you? What’s your name? It’s C. Karges. It’s my first initial, and then K-A-R-G-E-S is a great way to get a hold of me or just calling the club. We can communicate by text also. Okay. Perfect. Well, thank you so much for coming on Stay Healthy Knoxville. I appreciate you giving us some expert advice from, you know, all the way from the beginner level all the way up to, you know, going all the way to the professional level. Really appreciate it, Chris. Thanks for having me. It’s been great. All right. Well, and stay healthy, Knoxville.