1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: The sport of the age in terms of growth. Pickleball 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 1: hosting the New Zealand New Zealand Open this weekend. Four 3 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 1: hundred and forty three players registered now. Andrew Brady is 4 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:09,559 Speaker 1: the New Zealand Pickleball Association chair and is with us 5 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: a morning. 6 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:12,080 Speaker 2: Good morning mate. 7 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: How does the New Zealand Open work these days? Can 8 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: you do you have a system or a structure system 9 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 1: where you win your way through? Or can just anyone 10 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:21,439 Speaker 1: enter at the New Zealand Open given you've got born 11 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:22,800 Speaker 1: in forty three. 12 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:25,319 Speaker 2: No, anyone can open And in fact we've got twenty 13 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 2: nine divisions, so we're trying to make each division. Yeah, 14 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 2: the tournament relevant to lots of players across the landscape. 15 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 1: Wow, where's the growth coming from? Is it clubs or 16 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: is it schools or what? 17 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 2: Oh? I want to say, it's across the board. More 18 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 2: and more schools are playing it now and definitely clubs 19 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:49,840 Speaker 2: have grown and the playing groups pop ups. It's playing 20 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,880 Speaker 2: all over the country. We've gone from about thirty playing 21 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 2: groups a couple of years ago, so now we've got 22 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 2: eighty listed on our website and those are the ones 23 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 2: we know about. Yeah, there'll be lots and lots more. 24 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: It's amazing, isn't it. Is it indoors or outdoors? My 25 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:07,399 Speaker 1: wife is finding at trouble with the wind. Outdoors you 26 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: can play both. 27 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 2: A lot of pickaball in New Zealand has played outdoors, 28 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 2: but where you see the stuff in the States and Australia, 29 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 2: it's all outdoors and the wind just becomes another fact 30 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:18,559 Speaker 2: that to deal with On the court you're either playing 31 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 2: into it or against it. So so yeah, it's the 32 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 2: New Zealand Open. It's played on an outdoor court surface 33 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 2: with a roof, so we don't have to try and 34 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 2: contend with any of the four seasons in the day 35 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 2: Auckland weather, which is fantastic. 36 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: Where are we at with a pickle v paddle thing? 37 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:40,400 Speaker 2: The pickle v paddle. 38 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: Yer see globally paddles a thing and in some countries 39 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:45,679 Speaker 1: pickles a thing, you know what I mean? 40 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 2: Oh, look from our perspective, if people are out there playing, 41 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 2: they're moving around, having fun, building community, making friends, love it. 42 00:01:56,000 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 2: You know. I work collaboratively with the Paddle Federation as 43 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 2: well and their chair plays biockaball and battle, so it's fantastic. 44 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 2: You know, there's enough people in New Zealand for all 45 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 2: the sports. 46 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 1: That's good and the younger growth interests me. What is 47 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:14,280 Speaker 1: it about the sport that's attracting so many young people. 48 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:22,079 Speaker 2: It's fast, it's athletic. Gone of the days where pickleball 49 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 2: has the perception that was where tennis players went when 50 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 2: they couldn't play tennis anymore. It's just super exciting. And 51 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 2: the more young people that come into the sport, the 52 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 2: more they go down there and they play a session 53 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:37,920 Speaker 2: and they meet some friends and it just grows from there. 54 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 2: It's the biggest growth area in the out of the state. 55 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 2: That age groups of eighteen thirty. 56 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: Five super exciting. 57 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 2: It is super exciting. And I hear that you quite 58 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:50,119 Speaker 2: enjoy the game. 59 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: I don't play the game myself, I mean, but my 60 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 1: wife is obsessed about it and she's set up her 61 00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: own league and she's got international sponsorship coming in. The 62 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: whole thing's I'm embarrassing, but you know so. But she's 63 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:03,919 Speaker 1: but she's one of the many. And listen, go well 64 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 1: with the New Zealand Open. I'll get her to end 65 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 1: to next year when she stands a chance. She says 66 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:10,680 Speaker 1: she's quite good, but I've seen no evidence. That's all 67 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:13,360 Speaker 1: I mean, she's a naturally athletic person. I'm digging myself 68 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: a massive hole here. She's an inter judge, she's an 69 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 1: athletic person, but she's thoroughly enjoying it. But it's raining today, 70 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:21,359 Speaker 1: so she's not playing. So she's frustrated. But that's enough 71 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:24,920 Speaker 1: of pickleball for now. For more from The Mic Asking Breakfast, 72 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 1: listen live to news Talks at B from six am weekdays, 73 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:30,679 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.