Newsletter 4

Jack Munro
February 26, 2024

Welcome Back To Jack’s Journal!

Hey Y’all, it’s Jack here! My apologies for missing last week’s newsletter as I had a jam-packed day competing in singles at APP Next Gen. But now, we are back at it again with a weekly update regarding everything pickleball…

Before We Dive In…

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Now Let’s Get Into Things…

1. APP Next Gen / PPA Mesa

APP Next Gen

As always, one of my favorite tournaments of the year, and once again, it did not let down. With the age restricted to 16-23, it’s a place for rising stars to showcase their talent and make a name for themselves.

I teamed up with Richard Livornese and was lucky enough to take home gold for both Alternate Mens Doubles and Mens Doubles. He performed better than me in singles so he took home the crown but really happy with my performance overall.

Not much beats the atmosphere of Next Gen; great vibes and unforgettable memories on and off the court. If you know of any up-and-coming talent looking to make a name for themselves, I highly recommend they try out APP Next Gen!

While I don’t have any pictures of this tournament, check out this really sick point!

PPA Mesa

Definitely going down as one of my breakout tournaments! I teamed up with Julian Arnold (Mr. Andiamo himself) and had a pretty nice run, beating notable names such as Tyson McGuffin and Dekel Bar, as well as taking James Ignatowich and Matt Wright to 3 games on Championship Court. I HIGHLY recommend watching this match as it was not only high level pickleball, but it was also super entertaining. You’ll see…

One takeaway: While I am certain that with time the nerves will go away, focused breathing helped me a lot to deal with being on championship court.

2. The Power of Dopamine

“Time flies when you’re having fun”

We’ve all heard this saying, and how come we can we all relate to this?

Why does 2 hours feel like 20 minutes when you’re at Dave & Busters, but 20 minutes feels like 2 hours when we are waiting in the doctor’s office?

While the research is ongoing, dopamine, which has been “conventionally associated with reward and motivation, is critically involved in human time perception”

As seen in a study with mice, “boosting dopamine activity slows down the animals’ internal clock, leading them to underestimate time intervals.”

What can we learn?

Dopamine as a Modulator of Time Perception: These studies suggests that dopamine, traditionally associated with reward and motivation, is also crucially involved in human time perception.

Interaction Between Reward and Timing Systems: Both studies propose that there is an interaction between the brain's reward system, which relies on dopamine, and its timing system. This interaction could mean that changes in the reward system, such as the anticipation of rewards, may influence the perception of time.

Role of Dopamine in Internal Clock Mechanisms: One hypothesis in the first source discussed that dopamine may modulate an internal clock that governs timing behaviors. Changes in dopamine levels could therefore impact the speed or accuracy of this internal clock, leading to alterations in time perception.

Neurobiological Overlap Between Time and Reward Processing: Given the overlap in the neural circuits involved in time perception and reward processing, changes in dopamine levels could potentially influence both systems simultaneously, leading to alterations in how time is perceived during rewarding experiences.

The Takeaway…

While I struggle to find a true application for this information, it is nonetheless super interesting to learn how changes in dopamine levels, influenced by rewards and reward-related cues, can alter how individuals perceive time.

3. The Importance of Collaborations

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” - African Proverb

This concept, in relation to social media, took me a while to get on board for…But now with more clarity due to having more time, I can now confirm that collaborations are one of the secret sauces to growing your account.

Let me explain…

Increased Reach: Collaborating with others exposes your content to their followers, increasing your reach and potential audience.
Engagement and Trust: Collaborations can create engaging content that builds trust with your audience, as they see you associated with other reputable accounts or influencers.

Especially in the realm of pickleball, it is easier than you expect to collaborate with big name brands or players. Check out an example here!

Why? Because it’s free content for them! They do absolutely nothing on their part other than watch the video and press “accept” if they want to collaborate on the reel. If they don’t accept the collaboration, then the video still gets pushed to your audience like any normal one of your other reels.

It’s a win-win!