Lina Padegimaite Featured On Bonjour! Sports Talk

Watch our Pro Player, Lina Padegimaite, as she was interviewed on Amazon Prime’s Bonjour! Sports Talk.

Transcript

Interviewer: [00:00:00] Welcome back to you, Bonjour Sports Talk. Madeline Burke, Iani tumor, and Reid Fowler on this beautiful Thursday, New York City. We just got done speaking to someone who’s changing the game in the sport of baseball. While there’s also other things changing in the sport. Sport of tennis or racket sports, one being pickleball.

Interviewer: Mm-hmm. Which is AC just sweeping across the nation. And we here at Prime Video and Amazon have a partnership with the Professional Pickleball Association and we wanna welcome in our next guest, Lithuanian Pro Pickleball Star, Lina Padegimaite, is joining us from Atlanta, where the PPA Atlanta Open just got underway about an hour ago.

Interviewer: You can watch exclusively on Prime Video. Lina, welcome to the show. How’s it going so far?

Lina Padegimaite: Thank you guys so much for having me. Um, it’s been an amazing journey so far and I just got into Atlanta, um, last night and I’m gonna compete in about two and a half hours. Oh

Interviewer: my God. Wow. Wow. So, okay, so we’ll make, we’ll try and make this nice and quick, [00:01:00] uh, because you gotta compete, so you appreciate you joining us.

Interviewer: You came over to the States when you were 18 years old and you went to University of Texas first. The first off-hook Em. Uh, second off, how was it moving to another country at that Youngman age by yourself?

Lina Padegimaite: Um, you know, I think it was a huge, um, change of pace for me. So yes, I was 18 when I moved, uh, to Austin.

Lina Padegimaite: Uh, I played tennis for the University of Texas at Austin. Um, I was at the time the only international player on the team. Um, so it’s just a lot to digest to, um, the whole culture and, um, I was really bad at small talk and cultural references. Cause even though my, my English was really good, I just wasn’t like submerged in the pop culture.

Lina Padegimaite: Um, but you know, I think just through having like a common goal and a common activity, uh, I was able to make friends really easily cuz you know, at the end of the day I was there to really compete at the highest levels for tennis and, um, get the best out of [00:02:00] my education.

Interviewer 2: So is litho, is, is pickleball a thing in Lithuania?

Interviewer 2: Are, are you involved in trying to help litho, uh, Lithuania bring pickleball to Lithuania, or is it already

Lina Padegimaite: there? Yeah, so actually we established Lithuania’s Pickleball Federation last year, which was really cool. Um, and now we’re trying to grow the sport. So last year when I went home over the summer break, I did the first, uh, like intro to pickleball, uh, kind of big clinic in my hometown, Konas Lithuania.

Lina Padegimaite: Uh, and I’m coming back this summer hoping to do some more of the events. And yeah, we’re just kind of growing the boards from the grounds up. We still don’t have the equipment, you know, the, you can’t purchase paddles or balls at the stores, but we’re just trying to ship, uh, some different equipment from abroad.

Interviewer 3: Lina, as the sport of pickleball is really becoming such a hot new wave all over the world, and especially in the United States. I’m always interested in the origin stories. Right. And yours is particularly interesting. You discovered this sport in 2020 during the pandemic while you [00:03:00] were pregnant, uh, ended up, you know, training during your son’s nap time.

Interviewer 3: How do you balance being a mom and a pro pickleball

Lina Padegimaite: player? You know, balance is a tough word. I feel like there really is no balance sometimes. Um, yeah, I got into pickleball. It was kind of random, you know, March, 2020. Uh, this place where I used to play table tenants shut down on Sundays. Um, my friend invited me to play pickleball.

Lina Padegimaite: I kind of played it just on Sundays for a little bit. I was still working full-time as a physical therapist. Um, and then my son was born in September 20. 20. And um, I just started coming out to the courts over nap times. Uh, my friends kept bugging me to come play and I was like, well, the only time I’m playing is when he’s sleeping.

Lina Padegimaite: Right. I’m definitely not paying a nanny to play this sport. Uh, and uh, you know, that’s kind of how it happened. And then I found a really competitive, motivated group of women. Uh, Christina Doman was the head of this group and she would al always organize an extra player like the fifth or the ninth player cuz [00:04:00] you need either, you know, even numbers to play pickleball.

Lina Padegimaite: Um, so one would sit out a set and just kind of keep an eye on my son. And, um, that was an amazing kind of like community to be in, like as a young mother. And I just found the adrenaline and competing again and just wanted to take it

Interviewer: further. Lina, your son is your biggest fan and happy belated Mother’s Day, first off.

Interviewer: Thank you. Um, and your son’s your biggest fan. Does he know how good you are?

Lina Padegimaite: Uh, I don’t think my son knows how good I am just yet. He’s two and a half and he’s really energetic and he knows what pickleball is. And anytime I leave in the mornings and I leave him with, you know, nanny or somebody else, or if he goes to daycare, he like, he asks me like, mommy, are you gonna go to workout or Mommy?

Lina Padegimaite: You’re gonna go to play pickleball? And then when I pick him up from daycare or somewhere, he always asks me like, mom, did you play pickleball? Like he just knows that it’s like a common vocabulary word at this point. Um, so it’s just kind of funny. But, and then whenever he plays with like little cards and stuff and I ask him like, where are you going?

Lina Padegimaite: He’s like, I’m going to the courts. [00:05:00] That’s the only answer. He’s always going to the courts.

Interviewer 2: So Lina, you um, you have a doctorate in, uh, physical therapy and Correct. I, I know how athletes are. They always try to get like a little, little, uh, information and sometimes they try to get it for free. So do any of your competitors just come to you and say, you know, my shoulder’s hurting, what exercises should I do?

Interviewer 2: Get a little free. Uh, Free physical therapy, uh, just by, by, by proximity of knowing you. Yeah.

Lina Padegimaite: That’s, that’s funny you mentioned that cuz it happens all the time. Um, a lot of, kind of, a lot of players and friends just come to me and say, Hey, like my wrist is hurting. What do you think I should do? Hey, like, this is bugging me.

Lina Padegimaite: What do you think? I should do. And you know, my first answer is like, we need a really good exam. So I can either take a look at it or I refer them out maybe to the clinic where I used to work at if I don’t have time. Uh, and that’s been working really well. I just, I really don’t like giving like shitty general advice without actually like expecting something.

Lina Padegimaite: That’s fair.

Interviewer 3: That’s totally fair. I mean, I, I’m so curious too, does your [00:06:00] background in sports medicine help you train, I mean, as a professional athlete, you need to take care of your body and, and, and make sure you’re keeping track of it. But does that background

Lina Padegimaite: help? I think it really does because I just have this, uh, bigger picture in mind of, you know, addressing the, kind of the stability and like injury prevention stuff.

Lina Padegimaite: Um, You know, cuz it’s easy to overtrain on the courts and just kind of run down your body. But I try to prioritize stuff off the court too, like Pilates and recovery stuff and stretching and you know, just anything that can boost, uh, per performance on the court and just keep me healthy, cuz I know at the end of the day you’re only relevant in the sports when you’re healthy.

Lina Padegimaite: Once you’re injured, you’re not relevant anymore, unfortunately.

Interviewer: Lina, College Sports we know is much bigger on the team aspect than the individual, and you’re very big on the team wins. You’ve mentioned it quite a bit that those are a little more fulfilling than your individual wins. What do you love about your team?

Interviewer: The fives, and then it’s also interesting how that name is, uh, name came to be.

Lina Padegimaite: [00:07:00] So I played for the fives last year at the M l P team and um, it’s just amazing to be part of something bigger. Garvy did a really good job of involving us in the Bres community and having the fans out there and, um, kind of following us through the social media and building stories behind us.

Lina Padegimaite: And, uh, I think at the end of the day, you know, it’s just, About building the kindness and, uh, the support in the group. And, um, I just love that within the team you always like, celebrate. I feel like there’s always somebody to celebrate with and, you know, share the experiences because when you’re just doing it on your own, it’s, it’s, it’s a little bit more isolated for sure.

Lina Padegimaite: So I love that team environment for that.

Interviewer 2: Yeah, Lina, we’ve been talking all week to different pickleball players and they always talk about how it’s not only is a physical, uh, it’s hard physically, but also emotionally. And how do you, how do you pickleball players maintain the mental aspect of, of playing pickleball and, and in with the emotional health that you need to have to, to be able to compete at a

Interviewer: high level?[00:08:00]

Lina Padegimaite: Uh, that, that’s a great question. The first thing that came to mind is you go to Kickbox last and. Get your, your anger out. Um, no, I’m kidding. You know, I think, I think. You know, a lot of us have a lot of big emotions and different ways to deal with it. Um, to me, like any kind of exercise is my stress relief.

Lina Padegimaite: Um, but also just having a good friend support and like a community of support. I, uh, I’ve built some really good friendships within the pickleball community, so I tend to call my friends and talk to them about my feelings and I think that’s absolutely normal. Um, and not bottle them in. And, you know, when.

Lina Padegimaite: When the good days are, you know, really good, then you’re just wanting to celebrate and like share your good times with other people. And then when you have some, um, losses or tough losses and just kind of, you’re doubting yourself, you always call the same people and they just lift you up and um, yeah, you just keep going.

Lina Padegimaite: Cause at the end of the day it’s sports. You’re gonna lose, you’re gonna win, [00:09:00] you know, you gotta keep going.

Interviewer 3: Absolutely. It’s important to take care of both your physical and your mental health as you take on the world of professional sports and all the demanding things. I mean, hey, look at you right now, just over two hours away from being on the court and you’re doing media with us, talking to us on this show.

Interviewer 3: Um, what are you looking forward to this weekend in Atlanta?

Lina Padegimaite: I think, um, just competing at a really, like high level. This is a major tournament, so all of us are really here. Uh, large draws, really good competition, amazing venue. Um, have really good partnerships and partnering with Susanna Barr and Women’s Doubles, Rafa Hewitt, and mixed doubles and playing singles today.

Lina Padegimaite: Um, to me it’s just all about growth and improvement and just kind of seeing progress from, you know, um, one week to another.

Interviewer: All right, Lina Padegimaite, thank you so much. The PPA Atlanta Open is underway. You can watch it exclusively on Prime video. Good luck. You have three extra fans here cheering you on.

Interviewer: We’re going to hope that, uh, everything comes your way. [00:10:00] Good luck and, uh, we, uh, we’re so excited. See, partnering with you guys. So, uh, have fun out there. Thank you.

Lina Padegimaite: Amazing partnership. Thank you guys so much. All

Interviewer 3: right. Thank you so much and good luck today. I love the fact that she’s like, ah, I gotta be there and done two and a two hours top by the universe.

Interviewer 3: Yeah, just

Interviewer: like, I think she was so composed. It’s like if you’re, like, if I’m doing a, like a . Pre-game interview. I’m like locked into the game, like next question. But she was so nice and gracious that come join us. Yeah, she is absolutely

Interviewer 2: two, two hours before a game. I’m not talking to anybody. Mm-hmm. Right.

Interviewer 2: No. Yeah. Headphones on. You’re

Interviewer: ready to go. But Amani, we need you to talk more because we got more show. Don’t, don’t knock on, don’t stop talking. Amani, we need you to talk more right here on Prime Video. You can also listen to us on ANT Radio S Mallen Burke. Amani. Tomar Fowler on Bonjour Sports Talk.