Speaker 1: 0:00

Hi, I'm Shelly Maurer and I'm Cher Emrick. Welcome to Life.

Speaker 2: 0:04

Lessons from Pickleball where we engage with pickleball players from around the world about life on and off the court.

Speaker 1: 0:12

Thanks for joining us. Welcome everyone to Life. Lessons from Pickleball. Oh my gosh, we're so happy you've joined us today, and you're going to be really happy too, because we are delighted to have as our guest Sherry, also known as Esosa Rain, who has taken the game we all love to extraordinary places. Sherry, you are a global missionary, a community builder and a powerful example of what it means to rise, rebuild and serve. Of what it means to rise, rebuild and serve Sherry.

Speaker 2: 0:44

you've brought Pickleball to Belize, puerto Rico, kenya and now South Africa. And in South Africa your mission has focused on the townships, where you've trained both youth and seniors. Often with minimal resources, you've helped players discover confidence, health and a new sense of belonging.

Speaker 1: 1:06

Your vision is so bold expanding pickleball access, securing scholarships for young athletes and using the game to uplift entire communities and you've partnered with schools, churches and grassroots leaders to make it happen. And you've done it all with passion and perseverance.

Speaker 2: 1:24

Wow, we're so grateful to have you share your story with us today. So let's first start with how were you first introduced to Pickleball Sherry and what was going on in your life at the time.

Speaker 3: 1:34

Well, at the time it was in 2019 I was actually serving as a missionary in Asia, working with the underground church, and, of course, covid broke out and I had to come back to the US and I was extremely depressed and upset that I couldn't travel. And so I decided to go to the YMCA one day and one of my friends she's a director there and she was like come, let me teach you this game called pickleball. And I was very resistant at first because I was just mad because I couldn't travel. And so I just I said come, let me teach you this game called pickleball. And I was very resistant at first because I was just mad because I couldn't travel. And so I just I said OK, let's do it.

Speaker 3: 2:09

And from that day and I started playing pickleball I played every day for about six months straight, just nonstop. I fell in love with the game, and one thing I noticed right away is that my depression lifted. I began to meet a lot of new people. Otherwise, when we met, a lot of us were military veterans with PTSD, like myself.

Speaker 3: 2:31

And to see us being able to laugh, to have fun, to chat with each other and not have a panic attack and not be in fear. It was just an amazing experience and I knew that this game was meant to change my life.

Speaker 1: 2:48

Wow, you mentioned your military service and PTSD. Can you share more about that?

Speaker 3: 2:55

Yes, I joined the Air Force at 18 years old, straight out of high school. Within a year of being in the military, I was SAD and I gave birth to a beautiful son. He's now 40 years old and a lot more SA occurred, but it was mostly that. And then I was a part of Desert Storm. So a lot of things happened while I was serving, but at the same time, it just made me stronger. I wanted to serve my country in spite of the personal things that were taking place, and by the time I was discharged, yeah, I was dealing with a lot of emotional issues, a lot of fear, panic attacks and so forth a lot of fear, panic attacks and so forth.

Speaker 1: 3:49

Wow, and I am so sorry for that. I know that you speak for so many and we really are not conscious of what we are asking people to do when we send them overseas, in the military or even here in the military. I mean, we just really are not conscious enough of what the emotional and physical toll can be. So I really appreciate you representing and talking about that struggle, personal and otherwise, and that, how fascinating that you found the solace in pickleball. Yes, wow, and so is it because that changed your life. Is that what inspired you to take this game all around the world? How did that come about?

Speaker 3: 4:32

Yeah, definitely Because I was. Even though I was a missionary, I was a loner. When I wasn't on the mission field, I stayed in the house a lot. I did what we call mixed media art. So I would be alone quite a bit just creating art journals for people who were sick, people who had cancer, different people that I would see on the Internet or just out and about, and I would spend a lot of time alone in the art studio creating art journals and just to be a blessing, to lift someone up. But then Pickleball brought me out of my hiding place and just taught me how to be comfortable in my own skin. And I hadn't did a sport because I was a track athlete in high school and played volleyball a little bit in the Air Force. But I hadn't did any sports in such a long time because I ended up with a total of 10 knee surgeries five on each knee, oh my goodness, and so I hadn't did a lot of sports, and so pickleball just kind of opened that up.

Speaker 3: 5:36

And then one thing too that amazed me about that game was, especially here in the South, to see how it just tore down the walls of division in racism.

Speaker 2: 5:47

Yes.

Speaker 3: 5:48

And to see people just getting along and it was just like wow, and it's so easy to learn and it's affordable. So, yeah, that was a big deal.

Speaker 2: 5:58

Big deal, yeah. So why did you choose to start this global journey in Kenya and tell us how that all got started?

Speaker 3: 6:10

Yeah, I started my first. I started doing missions in the year 2000.

Speaker 3: 6:15

My first trip was actually to Zambia, africa, and then eventually I ended up in Kenya and pretty much go every year in October serving at an orphanage there. So I was already doing missions. It's just that pickleball opened up the door to take the mission even farther, because I was mostly in orphanages and then rescuing girls from human trafficking. So I was in very dangerous situations situations but also very emotional, like I served in thailand and I I helped rescue toddlers and infants from human trafficking and I began to get sort of traumatized by that and so I felt like pickleball was something, a totally different approach, and so I decided OK, let's go to South Africa, I think in 2023. Yes, january 2023. Let's go to South Africa. See, can I get into one of the government schools and just begin to teach the game there? And the doors just kind of flung open because majority of the government schools there can't afford any kind of athletic programs for the kids, even the school itself, if you see the school itself, they would never be able to open such a facility here in the US. It's just so awful, if you ask me, awful. But as I begin to introduce the kids to pickleball and hear the reports from the teachers and the parents like they're not angry anymore, they're not running the streets anymore, they're not stealing anymore, trying to survive. All they want to do is play pickleball in between their you know their homework because they're extremely intelligent, very intelligent youth and and see what pickleball was just doing for their lives. And I was like, wait, wait, a minute, I'm going to use this as a mission tool to get into more doors.

Speaker 3: 8:11

And so I am in schools, I am in communities, churches, and they've never heard of the game. So they had never heard of the game, didn't even know what a pickleball paddle looked like. And so I went over there with just two paddles and maybe four balls and I ended up having to order nets. You know from Korea I'm not Korea, china having to order nets and we still don't have courts where I go. But we make use of what we have. So what I did, I just took, we started out with desks I would take like six desks and make a net in the courtyard, and we started training with just desk and the kids didn't have shoes to wear. So they either wear their school shoes or they'll be barefooted. But we just use what we have and we let it grow from there, wow.

Speaker 1: 9:02

First off, I want to thank you so much for the work that you were doing to save the lives of children. Thank you, omg, I did not know that was a part of your story. That's really very moving. And the fact that you are working with orphanages. My youngest is adopted while I was living in Kenya and I just have a real heart for orphanages all over the world. Shelly and I have both lived and been to many countries in Kenya, I mean in Africa, including South Africa so we have a heart for what you're doing there as well. But oh my goodness, sherry, having your military experience too, and then this mission experience of working with abused people in the world, I mean really what an amazing journey you've been on. And then how remarkable that you have found this silly little game that is changing lives head over heels. I mean it's just amazing to me and that you've maintained this incredible passion and perseverance even in the not having any resources. I mean that is so inspiring.

Speaker 2: 10:20

Can you tell us about the formation of the first team you created? How do you say the name of it? Timbisa, timbisa, timbisa.

Speaker 3: 10:28

Gold. So the township is Timbisa and so they live in Houghton, which is a providence and that means gold. So we decided to name the team hashtag Tembisa Gold. And those were my kids from ages 13 to 18. And so, yeah, we trained them for like three months and then we entered them into their first tournament. And what was so amazing about that?

Speaker 3: 10:54

They they very rarely leave the township, and so in order to get them in a tournament, we had to, you know, find transportation, get at least it was like 15 at the time get 15 of these young people all the way across the city and to neighborhoods that they otherwise would never go into. These are neighborhoods of the very privileged and these are only places where the courts are, and so they allowed us to come and bring them to the tournament and to just see them. You know, initially, the first couple of times they were intimidated is just because of the atmosphere of the nation. It's just because of the atmosphere of the nation and you know they come similar to the US, but I would say worse than the US, because a part of that only was abolished in 1994. So the residue of racism and being fearful is still very much there. And so to be able to go and and bring them and to get them to learn how to communicate with people outside of the township, regardless of their financial status, and just to have fun with the game. And so I realized on those first couple of tournaments it was like wait a minute, you know, I told one of my guys he was my driver and he learned how to play pickleball, so now he's a coach and he learned how to play pickleball, so now he's a coach. And so he just talking to him and I was like josiah, do you see what's happening here? I say this is much bigger than just teaching them pickleball and hoping they can get a scholarship to a university or something one day. I said look how they're getting along with each other.

Speaker 3: 12:28

And one thing in in South Africa there's a division within the Indian population, the Chinese population, the black population and the white population. So I'm like I begin to pray and I'm like I want to see one day that they, all of these different areas, come together and play this game. And so probably by the third time we got together, we had like a fundraising event and I did a camp, a pickleball camp. I had like people from North Carolina.

Speaker 3: 12:57

About six people come from here and never been to South Africa, and they came to help me do this camp and we end up bringing four different nationalities together, probably eight different tribes and probably out of that eight different, and probably out of that eight different, nine different languages, and they were coming together to play pickleball and we had the most amazing time. So it became more than just a game. It became a way to to unify people and to know that you can get along and you can have fun together in spite of the past, in spite of what you think you know about someone. Just open up your heart.

Speaker 1: 13:38

Wow, and are all of these participants young? I think you also work with pensioners.

Speaker 3: 13:46

Yeah, I work with pensioners in Soweto. We went to a couple of churches and one of the largest churches in Soweto I think they have 20,000 members. They let us use their gym and so they were able to purchase three portable nets and we use the gym every Wednesday and my ladies are 50 to 87 years old and they fell in love and we are. We organized one of the first pensioners tournament and again this like I was afraid of this tournament because these are the actual age group then experienced the most oppression yes and so I'm bringing the africans and the Africans together the two that grew up totally apart and bringing them together for pickleball.

Speaker 3: 14:37

And it was amazing. I cried, I just cried, yeah, just watching them. I couldn't even play. They wanted me to play because I'm a pensioner, but I couldn't. I just needed to cry and just watch.

Speaker 2: 14:48

Oh, that's so special. So what are the biggest challenges you're currently facing in expanding the pickleball and the townships and with the work you're doing?

Speaker 3: 14:59

The biggest challenges is that we still don't have our courts close to the townships. And then equipment there's really nowhere in the country that sells equipment. Yet equipment. There's really nowhere in the country that sells equipment. Yet there are people in the more privileged areas that they bring equipment in. They order equipment, but it's unaffordable for my children, because not only do I when I train them, I also have to feed them.

Speaker 3: 15:24

I also supply toiletries for the female female products toiletries every month. They don't have those things, and so it's more than just teaching them the game. I have to supply things that they need school supplies and things like that and so it's always a challenge, you know, getting the supplies. Even now, when I do return, the airline charges me up to $250 per bag of supplies yes, and last time I had nine bags by myself, and it's a challenge to raise the money to get people to sponsor luggage, and people donate the paddles and the balls, of course, but then I have to get toothpaste, I have to get the odor, I have to get female products and so forth to take with me me as well. And so I'm here in North Carolina now.

Speaker 3: 16:17

I'll be leaving in two weeks and I'm not even looking. I need to start fundraising, I need to start asking, but it's just like it's exhausting. Uh, it can be exhausting at times, and so, because my sister's like, sherry, you haven't, it's two weeks left and you haven't started anything, I'm like, I'm just kind of tired on this trip, you know, I just want to rest up and then probably the last week we'll see what happens. But yeah, we definitely. It's the resources that we need and we're praying that one day we don't know when, we don't know know how, but we can get a facility, an indoor facility.

Speaker 3: 16:53

Uh, would be great where the kids can come and actually have a camp every day, teaching classes every day for all of the the township, youth and adults, because pickleball's for all people and it's sort of right now disappointing as they prepare to that nation, prepares to become part of the global federation, in preparation for the Olympics one day, and so forth. You know the pro tournaments. It's almost like they're trying to make it a privilege game and I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen game and.

Speaker 3: 17:32

I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen. Yeah, so there's a lot of politics involved that I normally don't get involved in, but I'm going to have to speak up and say, hey, it's for all people, and my kids will not be ignored.

Speaker 1: 17:42

Can you say a little bit about that? We are big supporters of the Global Federation, so we definitely want to support the good work they're doing. But how is support the good work they're doing, but how is it impacting the work you're doing? I really would like to know well it's.

Speaker 3: 17:59

The sport is growing across the globe and I do follow them on social media and different things and just to see how they're on social media highlighting each nation as they're growing in the game, so it's really encouraging me. I don't know all the ins and outs of what it takes for a nation to become an official member as far as making pickleball legit for that nation. I know it's more difficult in africa period across the continent and so, but I know that probably umania and South Africa and Kenya are probably going to be the top three right now to get the accreditation I it becomes official.

Speaker 1: 18:39

I'm hoping it will open the doors for people who want to bring the game to all levels, to all communities, and it kind of legitimizes bringing the funds and resources. So my hope is that there will be actually a positive effect. But we will follow this because it's important and we agree with you that we don't want this to be an elite game.

Speaker 1: 19:20

The wonderful thing about the game is that you can just show up with your paddle, put your paddle down and four paddles are on top. We all go on the court play. I mean, it's just this wonderful level playing field, which is what you're explaining about. What's going in on in south africa. All these different communities who would otherwise avoid each other are coming together and loving each other while they're coming. Come on, that is incredible.

Speaker 3: 19:47

Yes, and then also onawi. I had one young man that was going to school in South Africa for a year and I take him under my wing, so I'm known as young ma. They called me young ma, all my young people called me young ma. And so I took him under my wing and now he's back in Malawi. I gave him four paddles, four balls, and he's using, and we sent him a net and he's the only one playing pickleball and going out into the various communities in Malawi teaching the kids, and so he's on social media and he's very passionate. He's determined to make this sport a sport for that nation. So I hope to fly into that nation in August to support him. And they're just watching videos to learn the game. And that's what I love about him he's not making excuses, he's saying we're going to watch these videos, guys, and then we're gonna watch these videos, guys, and then we're gonna do what we see on the video to make any partnerships with any companies to help you with panels or no ma'am.

Speaker 1: 20:58

Okay. Well, maybe this, maybe this series, podcast series, can connect people to you. We definitely um, at the end of the show, I want you to give us how we can connect with you, support you, and all that so that our audience can um get active in finding ways it. You know, the first thing that came to my mind, too, is maybe somebody who's listening is connected to an airline who says we're not going to charge you for those bags. You're taking all this stuff over to these kids, are you kidding me? That should be part of their charity. Come on, so I think we can get involved in helping to make this an easier journey for you. You should not be putting this all on your shoulders, and the more people we get involved, involved, the wider it spreads. You know it's uh, more hands make light work, you know. So yes, ma'am and just working.

Speaker 3: 21:51

I'm just. You know, my focus now is to raise up other coaches and those that can help me out like, even while I'm here in the us the young man is still doing know to make sure things keep running smoothly while I'm here, and so just taking the time to train more who are older, 30s and 40s, to help with the kids, because it's definitely more kids than we can handle easily. Easily, if I was to make an announcement, I would have 500 kids in one day, wow, and we cannot handle that. So we have to move in little pieces. But they're just so full of joy and so hopeful and I mean I remember when we did, we had one of the tournaments at one of the country clubs and the kids showed up and it was like three of them just kind of standing off to the side and I'm like are you guys okay? And it was like, well, we don't want to tell you that.

Speaker 3: 22:47

You know, we couldn't eat breakfast, we have no food at home and we have no electricity, so we couldn't watch the video you wanted us to watch. And I'm like, no, just tell me, don't worry about that. And so I was able to talk to the restaurant that's at the country club and say, hey guys, can you help? This is all the money I have, can you feed my kids? And they say, fine, we'll take what you have. And they fed my kids for the day, and so that just kind of made me be more conscious of them individually, what they're going through, and just making sure I understand and I'm available to help.

Speaker 1: 23:24

That is so beautiful. So you have had a remarkable journey, my friend, Very touching, and I would be interested we both would be interested in knowing what life lessons you might have gleaned, either lessons that you've learned playing the game or in this journey of expanding the game. Lessons that you're now using in your own life, or lessons from your life that you are applying toward playing the game or this work of expanding the game.

Speaker 3: 23:56

I played this morning. I don't play much in South Africa, I rather teach and coach and, you know, be cheerleaders for my young people, my older people. But I did play this morning for the first time in like three months and I noticed something about myself, even on the court and, you know, meeting up with all my friends here, I hadn't seen in a few months Humility, the importance of humility and understanding that we have to keep the laughter in the game. Because I noticed some people get so serious and you know they want to argue and smash the ball and get. And I remember telling myself this morning I'm not going to take on that energy because I, you know God has been so good and so faithful.

Speaker 3: 24:46

And I've learned so much about myself living in South Africa because when they have we were in a drought last year when they didn't have water I didn't have water either um, when the power is out, I don't have power either. And so just learning so much about myself and the importance of not only being humble but not taking things for granted, not taking relationships for granted, uh, looking forward to meeting new people, even like you two, and just coming together and working together and knowing that, uh, together we can make so much happen for others, and so that's something that's really been a blessing to me just to see my own heart and being willing to open it and to learn, even at 62 years old 62 years young.

Speaker 2: 25:35

Yes, young ma, yes, right, young ma.

Speaker 1: 25:41

Well, thank you so much, Sherry, for everything you are doing. How can people find you and support the work that you're doing?

Speaker 3: 25:49

On IG, I'm known as the Pickleball Missionary Instagram. That's the best way to Pickleball Missionary and then my personal page is Esosa Rain, and those are the main two ways that you can reach me, and it's Esosa Rain.

Speaker 1: 26:06

Go ahead and spell that yes.

Speaker 3: 26:08

E-S-E-O-S-A. And then rain, r-a-i-n.

Speaker 1: 26:13

Awesome, awesome. Well, we hope to mobilize a lot of support here.

Speaker 3: 26:24

And what airline do you typically fly?

Speaker 1: 26:26

Delta or United, depending on who's going to get me there the fastest. All right, delta and United, listen up. We want you to support. And what does it say on your t-shirt? It says I play pickleball in South Africa. And what do you do with those t-shirts? Yeah.

Speaker 3: 26:40

And then on the back it has the South African flag, and so we use these t-shirts. Yeah, and then on the back it has the South African flag, and so we use these T-shirts. Josiah and I created these T-shirts and use them as fundraising tools for people that are visiting South Africa and want to come out and help out with the kids, help do missions, and so they purchase the shirts, and then we use the funds to go towards our kids.

Speaker 1: 27:00

Brilliant.

Speaker 2: 27:01

Wow.

Speaker 1: 27:02

You are an inspiration, my friend.

Speaker 3: 27:07

Thank you so much. Thank you, and you guys are invited out to South Africa to help out.

Speaker 1: 27:10

we're on it, we're there, yes ma'am, and we'll bring a big load of equipment with us. Yes, that would be great. Thank you so much, and thank you everybody for joining us today. Wow, how inspired are you now? And let's see what we can do to help sherry expand this incredible, healing, joy-filled game that brings the whole world together. Let's see what we can do and, in the meantime, thank you so much and we look forward to a new conversation next week. Bye-bye.

Speaker 2: 27:45

Bye everybody. If you love our podcast, we'd be so grateful if you'd take a few seconds to follow or subscribe to Life Lessons from Pickleball. This ensures you'll never miss an episode and helps us continue these wonderful conversations.

Speaker 1: 28:00

On Apple Podcasts, spotify or wherever you listen, go to the show page and tap the follow button in the top right corner, and on YouTube, click the subscribe button under any of the episodes.

Speaker 2: 28:13

Thanks, so much Hope to see you on the court.