Playa del Carmen NOW

welcome to the Playa Del Carmen Now podcast podcast now and today's topic is pickleball in Playa del Carmen sure pickleball ball
he's Googling it right now OK Google what is pickleball
hey can I don't know what's pickleball where we can go eat then go to the scripture but whatever what is pickleball as everybody knows what pickleball is if they're listening to this podcast cuz they want to know where they can go play Pickleball in Playa del Carmen cuz it's here and it's big it's big it's big let's get into introductions hi my name is Ken Schmidt I am the CEO of condo hotels Playa Del Carmen and my sidekick Javier Resendiz how do you send this playlist to everywhere where do we resendiz everywhere and I'm I'm super excited because today we have two guests on the show yes yes we have
dr. oh ready yeah. Dr. Laura is it Carmine or car mean I mean I mean I mean okay so it's spelled Carmine like it's not mine but I reminded carmean you know how many 15 years of knowing you I finally asked her but that's funny do you know Spanish and then and then if we have doctor doctor Terry carmean Saturday that's it he's better than me yeah yeah from the from America work where I call Gringolandia we got to get matt cuz I stealing this this line from Matt gringolandia we're from gringolandia there from the Chicago area and I'm going to say
a few things that I know about them they have invested time and a lot of money in Playa del Carmen they own a couple condos they have baskets so how did you do this oh my God and obviously they love by low-carbon so we have to ask the must do I mean you have family in town with you right now what it was the must what was your must do to do in Playa del Carmen
first thing we do it come right to the beach we have a wonderful Beach Club here or just been here since 2005 and 2010 so that's the first stop good food good beer because I don't say so that's wonderful beach club is here I mean so you're you're retired now right we are very tired right and just to give everybody perspective
you come to Playa del Carmen to relax and get away from Chicago cuz it's freezing freaking cold and then food all right what are the what are the what are the top places you eat when you come here we always go to Asi beach club we do lunch there we have Romeo for dinner we do look up there our favorite restaurant maybe the first one for you it's your is favorites Romeo okay and then he moved over onto 4th and about 15th or so then he took his own name Romeo okay I just parked Davida has made it over on 10th right it's also very good very good very good so there are Italians that come here and stay because they like it and then they open up their own Italian
authentic Italian food awesome Tonight we are going to Lebroshere from Paris Fabian in and he does roasted chicken and absolutely the best desserts and all of Playa Del Carmen to leave here I have a home and eat my wife make some amazing food only. Don't get me wrong and we love Plank which is below Porto Playa Dr. Cito's has been a favorite on this trip because we have family staying at else has El Taj ocean we have family staying at Porto Playa and Meagia Beach side so it's right in the middle to great meeting place at on this trip. This trip cuz they're they're here three four times a year
the time we would come for 4 to5 days now we're setting an all-time record 13 days he has as for fine dining they go to Ola la they've also opened yum yum two location in the in the name of the hotel to field run 10th get some Portuguese music from Portugal I did not know I don't know
okay awesome so and then breakfast what is the favorite breakfast place Chez Celine they still showing we asked for breakfast wrestling is going to be one of the hottest topics if somebody is listening but who's really doing well is carlatus run across a multiplier the till 10 at night they're really doing well since this new place right very New York within two years
I think he opened it just before pandemic I would think so TimeWise I am all screwed up while I know that yeah yeah that's screwed up all my timing and everything when I we love that corner Dr sito's and carlotta's are right there so with twelve of us here it's just been a meeting place and sit and have a drink or a cup of coffee if it's been real great bringing new places it's good for now if you know that absolutely all right so we talked about the is there anything you want else you want to promote and playa del carmen that you just absolutely have to say something about because you guys been coming here longer than me with a 1993 and we believe we've seen this fellow
worked on the beach all of these years since 1994 has told us yesterday that he's worked at a number of different beach clubs and he is still here down at Inti on the beach you you are following us a grouper sandwich went to secret place so it's a unique sound like a grouper sandwich in Fort Myers which is also good but this is different yeah but it's great to make it for us because he's done it to the 1994 wow that's the time that you've been visiting it was at you you couldn't get the blue pair unless you walk the beach you couldn't get to it on the East Coast if it went into a Ravine and never came out if I'm correct you arrived here on your third date
that is correct I don't know but he knows a lot of 14 years and I don't know this stuff or maybe I just don't remember I think you're going to be the host and I'm going to be really interesting personalities because
play actually grow with this kind of people like that salute coming to visit us for tourism having a nice time and suddenly they realized what can they run for mayor or something like that they know the town so well oh all right I ain't going to worry for short time I was a mayor of Porto Playa
Porto Playa is the one in across from the lime green building where the gym is alright so let's move on to the actual topic of the show which is Pickleball I have no idea I don't know the comps I I didn't know I know we I purposely didn't tell you the topic I didn't tell anybody the topic thank you I want everything to be a natural instinct on the show or natural reaction I did not tell you that I did some homework for me I didn't know you did all this homework pickleball and I told Alejandra Alejandra knew about it cuz I had to mention to it before and in Fernando's our technical director here
no clue no clue so of course all the everybody's going to know who doesn't know pickleball will Google it but it is very popular it's it's crazy popular in the states if you go on YouTube and in a search pickleball you will see billions because all is well and it's in its you know it's I guess part of it is it it's it's not
as physical as another sport is very strategic and it was built strategically am I correct in this I mean you guys I do I've only played one we watched one so I didn't play well we just got this with new players all the time it's a very easy game to play in a tidal wave day wasn't it hard to get good at but you can have fun on the first day because it's just hitting a wiffle ball off of a paddle over a net and so if you've played tennis or if you've had other racket Sports if you played the hand ball badminton badminton is transferable tank transferable skills so it's a matter of getting the ball over the net Landing it in the opposite court and for just a moment because the ball does come back at some time so it's been very intensive development everyone's welcoming you and Xavier if you were to play today we would
I want you to become good at hitting the ball back to us okay so we could slam it back at you it's been crazy we started three years ago and people helped us and now we're in a situation where we help others so in Chicago where I play I know over a hundred people by name first name only but by name of people I play with every day he could both players players and Junior will be four years we started with six people I now have 43 women
I'm helping this isn't I've been through hell and I like how much immature adults yes you can't really see us but you can't believe it he enjoyed playing it because it is a lot of movement but it's not like tennis it's only a third the size of a tennis court of third of its way so it's it's laid out like a tennis court the scoring is a mystery in the beginning but are you do catch on after a while because you have helped everyone is helpful when you keep score and if you forget which happens that are eight locations you get corrected instantly okay
and you for me in the in the rules are set up so that the ball doesn't get too smashed that you let me know the route he's got a bad sore right I mean you in in the beginning one of you serve it has to bounce but after that it does not so yeah there are guys not so much ladies but guys who smashed the ball but that's not really the way the game is set up the game is set up so that you do dinking of the ball back and forth over the net if you can picture it is just a very soft little tap yes and I could be very strategic and directional and with a different Rhythm and even though it's in a small area which is called the Don Valley area 7 ft from the net on either side you can't Vale a shot you can stand at the net in Smash everything
what what do you play this thing in this is developmental at this point they were playing over and play a car at one of the all-inclusives yet it was not it was a political more or less because they were sharing tennis courts and then at the poliforum which is on the other side it's on horizontal other side of the highway there are five courts that are set up there that we play three times a week but this this this one's not you're saying that the money for them specifically for that sports are there all mapped out right they are what typically happens if they're taking a lot of tennis courts and converting them to pickleball courts because there's more pickleball players and hear those quart or what original I think the surface was set up for like a stalker type of a
field you're on a concrete surface and they carved out five courts on this surface and it's so you have found various and you know there's a kitchen and there's side so it's very clearly marked and you guys play every day or if it's available Wednesday and Friday and so with the very new players and however you've never played you can come on Wednesday thank you and we will help you to understand the process video tonight at 2:10 in the morning sometimes if it's not too hot to be can go a little longer but it's it's pretty hot. Here from all around the world some locals different age groups different levels of expertise and everyone in pickleball is very friendly
everybody welcomes each other and help each other which doesn't always happen it's worth it if people don't do it to humiliate somebody. That's a difference right different part of the spirit of pickleball from when it started was spread the word help others so it's it's different I don't know if any of their sport or there's that kind of encouragement to crush your appointment but we've made friends down here just from playing pickleball I knew what you were saying you've been doing this for the last 4 years and when did it get popular in Playa del Carmen went well this is just last year where they started it in and play a car at the all-inclusive that or they were in that The Rock Hideaway actually and they were resistant because they're a tennis facility and they
her to that and we're sort of like the redheaded stepchild run that someone were very smart and had the resources to build an indoor pickleball indoor at least the sun is actually
very comfortable or very a very nice over the last couple months and surprisingly we had some chilly days and some cool to not chili when I when I say chili and chili to them is like 22 degrees outside or is 0 but now just Justin spring head just I mean probably just last week it went from good weather to play Pickleball has a Facebook page but we have to be in the group so there are people who are only here for a week that are in the group and their people will live here that in the group but they post every Tuesday and Thursday or Sunday night we're playing
tomorrow at 8 come a little early help us set up the Nets and we go so when we were here in January when they first started this at poliforum it over 40 people you can put you can have four people on a court right away so usually I know this is true where we play as well the winners that win stay and split and two new people come on the court to challenge us try to balance out some of the strengths of things really work for a creating a community right somebody stepped up in created some kind of infrastructure for a daily activity or you know what you know
a park that can accept this on a regular basis I think it would do well cuz it's in the states it's off the chart so in in our particular group there are many Canadians because they're smarter than us they stay for 345 unpack and pack John Dubose is kind of running it in the group is the group was created no I take it back to you there are some local that started it but he picked up the ball and ran with it and then Jeffrey Blake has a lot of expats from USC's live here year-round and so when John goes and just stepped up so when when we were there today there were four new players never played before so John took 20 minutes with them I took 20 minutes with them and Jeff took 20 minutes with the new players to show them how to score where to stand and get the balls
when are you going out to play professional as nexgen but Wednesday because I really know where we going to go next Wednesday we're going to decide on a Great Hero General said they're nice but I never being in this huge in Miami I lie with you before cuz I remember it being on the in the show what was that the Miami Miami Vice
that because I remember that they also in Mexico we used to have tournaments and it was a big thing actually in Mexico City and these was also at the Acapulco it was well known for having a highlighter tournament and it was really different from the typical sports that we already played here in Mexico like I don't know like it what's the weather in Calicut in English what marbles marbles marbles with my English obviously Mexican are I don't know really into football we don't say sucker who to call because I believe two persons in the same like I like
I want to watch you can but it's not as fun as an official tournament that you are every weekend there's tournaments every weekend Everywhere I Go in different parts of the country to get a whole list of tournaments a different locations does this go for 40 however they like the HD HD says there's a rating of players according to skill level so it goes from 2.5 fuel can't keep score up to a 5.0 to the very best players are 5.0 and then Pro but then there's 45 for 35 most intermediate players are 3235 are different balls right there
but isn't it like a skilled player uses a different ball is now so you may have a tournament with just division you may have tournaments that are huge we have not only divisions but age over 50 over 55 over 63 5445 and all those categories so if there's a big tournament in Florida in Naples which is the pickleball capital of the world coming up and there will be thousands of pickleball players going to not know his place but to watch and we know people who play like a father-son a mother-daughter so it's not that you just look to play with people your own age. You said that you have this group with 40 woman and I let them know that they should invite
when they want to join us so it started growing and then people heard that there was a group of women because it's hard to find just a group of women it's a lot of guys and most of the group's a place with our guys so then I've been getting phone calls and emails and texts and we have people ages 3276 playing together so if we show up next Wednesday and we have panels if there are many players that we share paddle that's not a big deal we have additional paddle so we're willing to matter of movement you don't want to wear sandals and you don't want to wear running shoes because they were not good for side to side
low impact I do not like running from one side of the Court another that's why it's CC Williams sisters and we were watches the counter steps and typically if we play from 8 to 10 we do 5 6000 steps good workout and so far is there like a competition like a local competition like I don't know if they do have some instruction of weeks that will come to a all-inclusive in Riviera Maya okay and they sell out instantly because it's an attractive place to come as we all know and if you're going to be here for a week and have a chance to play Pickleball at an all-inclusive there are many who I actually like that we're not really all inclusive people so where
not going to fall into that group but it it's available it sounds amazing I mean is this we're going to do is to make sure look at you make sure we have some paddles in the country are so let's let's order some paddle so we have them in the concierge and so they're available so anybody that wants to play they come over to our concierge that was held liable Carmen and grab your panel so you can go play paddle ball this is something that really sorry that's what I was going to say that it is like portable the one that you can play at the beach right now there's no now there are pickle balls there so no one needs to bring a pickleball all they need is a paddle and a bottle of water
until we move on to
I'll just tell you we've we've just had a ball and met the nicest people doing this and I see us doing this for a long time you were saying about the Facebook group if you have guests here and they need to check to see if there's a game tomorrow so they need to say we we are here we'd like to play so that they know that there is a game going on tomorrow they have three people there is no game yes but if there is no going to need four or more then they'll set up one net the cost to play is a hundred pesos okay the first time going to eat any additional time to go with fifty pesos it's really cheap and us we pay $5 gas which is under pesos obviously but 252 play is ridiculously cheap it's really good and and pickleball players know that that's not a it's not there's no barrier tennis players know what even better cuz they're kind of play is significantly more and then
what time is after we get done playing there will be a group who will go out and get coffee or a cerveza very friendly alright so that's a wrap up of pickleball but now we will talk about the episode promotion for the promotion for this episode and promotion for this episode is hashtag pickleball how appropriate and you go to the condo hotels playadelcarmen.com website go ahead and book a reservation and when you get to the section of booking there's a promotion code put in #pickleball releasing myself out
well I want to thank you guys for doing the show I think that this was just so easy and amazing cuz you guys are amazing and you're so much smarter and yes we have a lot of fun thank you as always I love seeing you guys in town and I hope we could just draws a lot of people to us and we again listen to our podcast subscribe so that they can share recommend ask number to end the show with every time Terry comes here he asked the
what are they called one of them Mexican dancer 2002 dollars since 1993 listening to Rancho Christian $5 at a time all right I don't remember that song but that was a great show thank you for our gifts thank you for having us