The Balancing Act...

Hey y’all, Jack here.

This newsletter is probably going to feel a little more personal than usual. Not because of the results, but because I really want to let you guys into my mental headspace a bit more! I think sometimes it’s easy to see the medals, the travel, the highlights, and assume everything is smooth behind the scenes.

And trust me… sometimes it is. But sometimes it’s also really hard.

APP Sacramento ended up being one of the best tournaments of the year for me results wise, but behind the scenes, this was one of the more mentally exhausting weeks I’ve had in a long time.

So yeah… let’s get into it.

Trying To Balance Two Completely Different Worlds

Coming off the US Open, Sacramento almost felt like a test for me and Richard Livornese.

The US Open was such a high emotionally and performance wise, that part of me was wondering whether we could immediately back it up again or whether that week was just one of those magical tournament runs where everything clicks. Thankfully, we proved to ourselves that it wasn’t luck.

But before I even got on court in Sacramento, there was already a pretty massive amount of stress sitting in the back of my mind because of school.

One thing I don’t really talk about enough is how difficult it is balancing professional pickleball while being a full time student at UT Austin. UT is obviously an amazing school, and I genuinely care a lot about getting my economics degree there, but because pickleball isn’t an NCAA sanctioned sport through the university, my career doesn’t really get treated the same way traditional sports usually do.

If you’re on the basketball team or baseball team, there are systems in place for travel and accommodations.

For me, everything comes down to individual professors.

Earlier this year I missed a midterm because I was overseas competing in Japan, and after reaching out politely trying to figure out literally any possible accommodation, I basically got told no across the board. No makeup exam, no online option, and no flexibility. Instead, the weight of my missed midterm got shifted entirely onto my final exam. So now my final exam was worth 80% of my entire class grade. Which is honestly terrifying to even think about.

And the timing of all of it made things even crazier!

Championship Sunday into Finals Week

The craziest part about Sacramento was knowing that the second the tournament ended, I immediately had to switch back into school mode.

My final exam was scheduled for Monday morning back in Austin, and because my professor wouldn’t allow any alternative exam date, the entire week felt like a balancing act between competing and studying. Every free second I had outside of matches was spent reviewing notes, doing practice problems, or stressing about the exam sitting in the back of my mind.

Thankfully, Richard Livornese and I were able to pull through and win the tournament, which made the whole week feel so worth it, but right after the medal ceremony, I had to grab my bags and rush straight to the airport to catch a redeye back to Texas.

I landed in Austin around 5:30 in the morning, got a couple hours of sleep, and then went straight to campus to take a final exam worth 80% of my grade.

Honestly, the hardest part wasn’t even the lack of sleep. It was constantly switching between two completely different mentalities all week long. One second I’m competing against some of the best players in the world, and the next I’m sitting there studying economics trying to make sure I pass a class. It definitely stretched me thin, but at the same time, I’m proud of myself for finding a way to handle both.

Why Sacramento Meant So Much

That’s honestly why this tournament ended up meaning so much to me.

Richard Livornese and I were able to win both the Shriners Invitational and the APP Sacramento title, and I think what made me happiest wasn’t even necessarily the medals themselves, but the way we competed throughout the week.

The APP introduced a new invitational event on Wednesday with the top teams on tour, and it ended up being such a hit. Huge shoutout to Shriners Hospitals and everyone involved because the atmosphere around that event was genuinely awesome. The format was fresh, the energy was great, and it brought a completely different feel to the week in the best way possible.

Overall, the level on the APP right now is just ridiculous. There genuinely are no easy rounds anymore! Every team is dangerous, every match feels competitive, and if you’re not fully locked in, you can absolutely get punished for it.

One thing I was especially proud of this week was the discipline Richard Livornese and I showed. There were moments where certain shots or patterns just weren’t feeling right, and instead of trying to force things, we simplified the game, trusted our structure, and stayed patient. Mentally, I think that was one of the biggest improvements we made after Seattle.

Mixed Doubles And Perspective

In mixed doubles, I played with Emelia Schmidt from Australia, and even though we didn’t get the result we wanted, I honestly still really enjoyed competing with her. She brings great energy, competes hard, and is just genuinely fun to share the court with.

We ended up losing in the Round of 16, which obviously isn’t the standard I hold myself to, but at the same time, it really just shows how deep the competition has gotten. Mixed doubles especially feels like its own completely separate challenge sometimes, and every tournament feels like another opportunity to keep learning and improving.

That’s honestly one of my favourite parts about competing right now. The level keeps getting better, which forces all of us to keep evolving too!

What’s Next

Now that Sacramento and finals week are finally behind me, I’ve actually got a really fun stretch coming up!!

First up is Puerto Rico with Ashwavana, where we’re going to be filming content, running clinics, and exploring the island for a week. I’ve talked about Ashwavana a lot recently, but it’s genuinely become a huge part of my routine, especially with all the travel and recovery that comes with tour life.

After that, I’ll be back home briefly before heading to Dallas for a popup event with Ellesse to help launch their new drop, which I’m really excited about because the new collection is super clean. Then from there, it’s Vegas and the Cayman Islands, and my dad is actually tagging along for Cayman too, which is going to make that trip even more fun.

It feels like life has been moving a hundred miles an hour lately, but I’m really grateful for all of it.

Stay Up To Date

Also, if you want to keep up with everything in real time, socials are where it’s at. The newsletter is where I get to slow down and actually reflect, but Instagram and YouTube is where you see everything as it’s happening. I’ve been putting a lot more into YouTube especially, trying to find that balance between entertaining content and stuff that actually helps you improve your game. Some videos are pure chaos, some are more instructional, but all of it is stuff I genuinely enjoy making.

A lot more fun things coming up!

That’s a Wrap

This week reminded me just how difficult balance can be sometimes.

Trying to fully pursue professional sports while also taking school seriously definitely isn’t always pretty, and there are moments where it feels like I’m getting pulled in ten different directions at once. But at the same time, Sacramento also proved to me that I’m capable of handling both, even when things get hectic.

I’m really proud of the way I competed this week, but honestly I’m just as proud of the way I handled everything off the court too.

As always, thank you guys for following along with the journey. I appreciate every single one of you taking the time to read these and support what I’m building.

More soon.

Onward and upward.
See y’all next time.