It’s the final match weekend for season 3 of the Premier Pickleball League – and Karen Crawford’s R3 team are looking to maintain their place at the top of the table, where they’ve been since the start of the competition.
And, the team manager tells Pickleball 52, she couldn’t be prouder.
“I’ve been proud of them since the very beginning!” she says. “The season so far has been an incredible journey. I can’t believe we have been top of the league since day 1 – it really is incredible. This season was a new team and new adventure into pickleball for R3 as well as my first time in this role. I’m honestly proud of every single one of us for doing ourselves and R3 proud.
“When we (myself and R3) drafted the team our aim was to be competitive within the league and that was the goal. To have come together as a group of people off the court with such a good connection really has been the magic that’s made the difference on the court. We are all as equally passionate about pickleball and the fun to be had from playing and being involved in the sport. We all have busy lives and come from different areas and backgrounds – we spend our weeks attending sshool, college, uni, jobs and genuinely look forward to coming together as a team on the weekends. We show up quietly off the court but when the matches begin we have that magic between us to really encourage each other to be better players than the fixtures before. We want each other to improve and truly support each other on and off the court.
“I’m so happy to be surrounded by passionate, positive and hard-working individuals this season – they really are fab!”
She adds that the R3 team’s commitments outside pickleball underline their commitment: “They make it look easy and act professionally every fixture.”
Team captain Josh Bright’s singles career has taken off this season, meaning he missed out last time round and won’t be available this weekend, and Karen points to how the rest of the squad have stepped up in his absence – including Natasha-Lara Hood and Lauren Gosling both winning their singles matches in three sets in the last match weekend.
She goes on: “The men, Dan [Wren] and Ewan [Skillicorn] really came together as a pair for the day. It was fun to watch.
“Ewan absolutely shone on the court and was everything we needed in fixture 4 and more. He plays incredible pickleball and really stepped up and showed himself as a strong member of the team.”
R3 have also added Emma Wrixon to the roster, with Karen describing her as “the added sparkle we needed for our team.”
She goes on: “She fits perfectly! We have a new team member who feels like shes been in our R3 family since the beginning. She’s warm and friendly off the court and positive and strategic on the court with an added bit of strength this season from battling it out in Challenger all season. With the added experience of previous premier teams she is an all-round athlete that we are happy to have. The other teams missed out!”
PPL finals are scheduled for the end of March, and Karen expects that she will have a full R3 squad available to compete at Hurlands.
“I think we have shown that the youth are the future,” she says of the season as a whole. “They may be young but they have passion for the game and a willingness to learn and work together. Our shared passion has made the difference. We want to play pickleball. We enjoy it. We love the game.”
Great articles Carrie .. keep them coming. Love the Karen Crawford and R3 success
and Kelly Dawson’s well deserved appointment