By Josh Jenkins: Being fashionably late. Corey-isms. Falling in love with a Northeast city. There were so many similarities between Trip 1 and Trip 2. So, was trip number 2 for Two Zeroes and A Pro the same? Ha, not even close.

For starters, I went from spectator to competitor. I was in a pro main draw for the first time in well over 18 months. I felt nerves I hadn’t felt in a while, and it didn’t help that I was no longer flying under the radar. And sadly, I wasn’t on the radar due to my playing prowess so much as the fact that I showed up with an entourage, as a JOOLA employee, and with some fanfare from the great PPA hosts.

Additionally, since this was an East Coast event, I knew a lot of the players, had plenty of friends there, and even a handful of my students were competing. Previously, I’d fly in for a tournament, usually stay at a friend’s Airbnb or book a hotel on my own, play a few matches, and head home. This time, I had my guys (I’m not sure I would’ve called them that last trip, but bonds are being formed), and even a camera crew. How embarrassing would it be if I crapped the bed? Well... fast forward to Match 1: bed crapping!

Men's Doubles: I walked onto the court like Ali, my guys in tow, high-fiving people and smiling at the camera. But in what felt like five minutes, I heard, “Down goes Frazier!” because I was the one taking the body blows from The Champ.

From there we won our first match in the backdraw, and I finally began to settle into my game. These days, my style is all about consistency, accuracy, outthinking my opponents, and adding just enough movement to apply positional pressure.

Then we played two guys, kids really, whose combined age was still younger than mine. I’m not sure we hit many dinks or won too many points for our team, but overall, I’m glad I did it. It was a good experience. Afterward, I got to cheer on some friends, Oscar and Sanil, and then watch my JOOLA teammates JLG and Yuta win gold, followed by Anouar and JMA taking bronze. I also fulfilled my “2 Zeroes and a Pro” duties with Corey, Isang, and our newest bandmate, Connor.

On the women's side, it’s always rewarding to watch one of my students compete, and Spencer really showed up — what a warrior. It was also great to see Cynthia and Mehvish doing their thing.

I think having distractions and responsibilities may have helped me. There was no time to sulk or overthink the next day’s mixed doubles. It was straight to work, dinner, and sleep.

Playing on a Sunday? No, not Championship Sunday. The PPA Challenger follows the original PPA format: Singles on Friday, Gender Doubles on Saturday, and Mixed Doubles on Sunday. To be honest, I hadn’t played in a mixed doubles tournament in three or four years, maybe more. At 5'11" and 162.4 pounds, I’m not exactly an imposing force on the left side of the court, and at times, I lack the power and movement needed to excel in mixed. But I had a few things working in my favor. My partner, Cynthia, and I, a blind date pairing with a combined age of 83 (definitely not on the younger side), were up against a top-seeded team in round one.

Sometimes when expectations are low, you perform better. We came out hot, winning game one before dropping games two and three to the eventual gold medalists, who, for the record, said we were their toughest match. On the pro circuit, moral victories don’t count for much, but it was encouraging to play well and receive solid feedback on my game.

Matches two and three were instant classics, both going into overtime — beyond 11 in the main draw and beyond 15 in the back draw. Large crowds were cheering us on. In one match, we were down 14–10, saved several match points, and pulled off a thrilling 18–16 win. Cynthia, my first-time partner, had a rollercoaster of a match. She took a bit of a mid-game vacation, and we fell behind, but when it mattered most, she stepped up with some clutch shots and got us over the hump. I never stopped believing in her, and she trusted me to play freely. Her play was a huge help, and the energy from the crowd and support from my teammates made all the difference.

We were up against the head pro of the host venue, Fairport Pickleball Club, so the crowd was deeply engaged, reacting to every winner, error, and timeout. It's good to have friends. While we were lucky to pull out the win, I felt for our opponents. They had their chances and missed by just a hair. That’s pickleball.

Match three? We faced a strong team I respect a lot. After saving more match points, we had one of our own, and I missed a pretty easy shot to seal it. That’s how it goes sometimes. Still, it was a great match. We competed hard. I left the court encouraged by my performance, proud of my sportsmanship, and eager to compete again. I'll take that as another moral victory.

While the on-court moments were memorable, some of my favorite times were off the court. I had great conversations with Polina Libo and Thanh Bui, both of whom were advocating for their kids and sharing war stories from tennis, pickleball, and travel — unexpected new friendships.

We also had a post-match debrief with Corey, Isang, Connor, and our honorary "2 Zero and a Pro," Cynthia Tow. We laughed, shared reflections, and gave each other compliments. Usually, we advise against debriefing right away, emotions are still high, but Cynthia is a true professional. She spoke with clarity and perspective, and I tried to do the same. We’ll be teaming up again in Orlando.

The weekend wrapped up with a cameo from the Valentis. Paul kindly introduced us to his brother Joey, a near-mythical figure. We ate Garbage Plates, watched 2012 pickleball highlights on an iPhone 7, and talked about how the game has changed, though our love for it remains the same.

I’ll say this: I left the PPA Fairport Challenger with four losses, but also 4.5 new friends, most of whom I believe will be lifelong ones. Corey and Isang were even invited to my birthday the next week (though neither showed). Paul hasn’t stopped texting or calling since. Cynthia is now my pickleball mom, whether I like it or not. And then there’s Connor. He started making fun of me by the end of the trip, which I take as a sign that a new friendship is forming.

Now it's off to travel the world, grow the game, and hopefully get some much-needed practice in.

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