Learning on the Court
Dr. Lindquist grew up in Omaha, Neb., and began playing tennis seriously at age 12; he and his brother Tim won a state doubles title at Westside High School in Omaha. But when Dr. Lindquist and his family moved from Minneapolis to Naples, Fla., for a job change in 2016, he couldn’t find a game. “No one in my circle of friends played tennis, so I started playing pickleball,” he said. “I was annoyed at first because the ball was so different. But now I see it as a fun and social game because so many people play it here.”
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October 2022Today, he plays whenever he can in his community, which is home to the Marbella Isles Pickleball Club. He appreciates the social aspect of the game; doubles games are common, and people tend to chat with each other between plays.
Pickleball is a family affair for Dr. Lindquist, who also plays with his wife Kirstin and his five children: Mari, Gus (and his wife Maddie), Jake, Annika, and Elsa, who range in age from 29 to 13. He believes that playing doubles helps to develop and maintain patience. “The teamwork part of pickleball, especially when playing doubles, is similar to working as a team in a hospital or operating room,” he said. “In both situations, it’s important to have a strategy and a plan.”
Dr. Lindquist, who is currently an otolaryngologist at Millennium Physician Group in Naples, Fla., also cites the game’s pace as an asset. “With pickleball, you just need to be patient and not try to rush things,” he said. “It can help you to know how to set a good tempo for the day when seeing patients,” he said.
“Pickleball is a nice way to mingle with people outside the hospital for sure,” said Dr. Lindquist. “I haven’t played with any of my patients and that’s probably okay. No one wants to watch me play—I’m not that good.”
Pickleball for All
Dr. Wessinger, a second-year otolaryngology resident at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, said he organized games and taught pickleball to the three other otolaryngology residents during orientation when they all first arrived on campus in fall 2021. One of them was Dr. White, who still plays singles games against Dr. Wessinger every other week. “I tried to think of something fun we could all do, and you can pick up pickleball much faster than tennis,” Dr. Wessinger said, “I taught Shane how to play and now he can beat me.”