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06/11/2024 12:03 PMThere has been a new and upcoming sport that has grown around the country over the last several years. Similar to tennis, pickleball has certainly gained popularity recently, both competitively and for pleasure.
Clinton native Jeff Morse has an athletic background, and he has carved a path as one of the most successful pickleball players the state of Connecticut has to offer.
Jeff, who has been playing pickleball for two years, also played tennis competitively at the University of California, so the net and the racquet were seemingly meant to be in his hands.
“The anniversary of my first tournament was one year ago. I won a bronze medal in singles at the Connecticut Nutmeg State Championships of Middletown, and gold medal in mixed doubles. It was there that one of New England's best players and gold medalists in singles, Angelo Rosetti, told me to keep playing and not to give up my style of play,” says Jeff. “We're both tennis players, and one can easily spot a tennis player masquerading as a pickleball player. After 50 years of tennis, I've been happily playing pickleball for two years.”
Growing up in Africa, Jeff began playing tennis around age 10, taking lessons from his parents. Both his mother, who was the women’s singles champion of five countries, and his father were both avid tennis players, so he was always in good hands when it came to his training.
Jeff’s mixed doubles partner, Beth Brause, has been playing alongside Jeff for one year and they’ve found a lot of success on the court. The pair will be traveling to Arizona in November to compete at the US Nationals.
“I met him at the Old Saybrook Racquet club. We play tournaments together and practice together. I was also a tennis player like Jeff, and I started playing pickleball during COVID-19,” said Brause. “Jeff and I won a big tournament in Atlantic City last year at the Indoor National Championships.”
In that national championship competition in Atlantic City, Jeff earned a gold medal and a golden ticket, which is an automatic entry to US Nationals. He also won in the men’s doubles circuit at the APP New York City Tournament that was held at the US Open Tennis Center, receiving his third gold medal and a golden ticket.
“My initial goal was to qualify in all three divisions for the US Nationals in Mesa, Arizona in November 2024. In order to do that, I would have to play in the larger tournaments and win them in the three divisions,” says Jeff. “I feel like I accomplished what I set out to do at this stage of my pickleball aspirations and can back off a bit and take a vacation from it all, which I will be doing in Southern Africa for a month.”
Jeff notes that he belongs to at least a dozen pickleball clubs on the Teach Reach app with indoor facilities including Bloomfield, Guilford, Lyme Shores, Rocky Hill, and his primary club, Old Saybrook Racquet Club.
Over the past year, Jeff and Brause have had a lot of success as mixed doubles partners.
“It has been a lot of fun, rewarding, and we have had many successes. It has been great to see each other get better and support each other on the court,” said Brause. “Playing together has positively impacted our pickleball play because of our tennis background. We both are familiar with shot selection, and we have a very relentless pace, out-pacing our opponents.”
Pickle courts are the same size as a doubles badminton court that measures 20 by 44 feet, with the net height at 36 inches and 34 inches in the middle. It is striped similar to a tennis court with right and left service courts and a seven-foot non-volley zone in front of the net that is referred to as the “kitchen”.
“Doubles is the most popular, with singles reserved for those that want more of a physical workout. I would recommend playing doubles first, then decide if singles is something to incorporate,” says Jeff. “Playing one will benefit the other. It's easier to just go out and do it or watch a few videos to augment one’s learning curve.”
Jeff plays for fun both indoors and outdoors and trains about three to four times a week, depending on the season.
“I play one or two tournaments a month, ranging from small club tournaments up to national and international open tournaments,” says Jeff. “My training regimen becomes more serious prior to the big ones, and I train for longer periods of time and push harder and more frequently in preparation for those.”
Every athlete faces challenges, no matter how serious they are about their sport. For Jeff, his challenge started when he was in his early teens, not knowing that his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) was torn during a motorcycle accident in Africa.
“I went on for the next 40 years as an athlete, never realizing that my ACL tendon in my right knee was completely severed and had been absorbed over the years. The technology simply didn't exist where I was living back then,” says Jeff. “The ongoing challenge is to become more adept at playing the game of pickleball according to the laws of physics that promote winning strategy in the game.”
As Jeff continues to make strides on the pickleball court, he looks forward to establishing himself as a professional playing against a wide age range of other competitors, as well as competing against some of the best players that are his age in November.
“I look forward to the culmination of what led me to qualifying for men's singles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles in November. I look forward to seeing my family in California coming down to AZ for the matches, as well as hearing my children and friends cheer me on,” says Jeff. “In the end, it's just a game that I enjoy playing for many reasons. I'm grateful that I can do it, and for all the people that support me on and off the court. Thank you to all the players for training with me and against me. You make me a better player, and a better person.”