Tommy Hirsch will be 28 years old in October, his first birthday as a free man devoted to living clean. Hirsch, an addict, and ex-offender who served five years in the Arizona state prison system, explained how he approaches life daily. “Three things: mind, body, and soul,” he said. “That is what I do every day.” He credited pickleball, specifically, as a critical component of this approach. “It is an asset. Pickleball covers the physical and the mental. It is a thinking game,” he said.
The Fall
Hirsch was in a much darker place before prison. “I had dealt with self-worth issues my whole life, the feeling of not being good enough, not fitting in.” Things began to spiral out of control. Tommy became a drug addict doing whatever he could to stay numb. “It (drugs) does do that, you know. It numbs feelings and fears. So, you have the consequences in the back of your mind of what could happen, but you keep going anyway. It is no way to live, yet I was heavily into it for quite a few years.”
When he was 22, it all caught up to him, and as a result, he landed in prison, convicted of drug distribution, and possessing a firearm. The prison sentence put him at a low point. He had to face his feelings and fears.
Recovery Begins
Hirsch slowly began to seek some answers. “I did a lot of soul searching in prison,” he said. Tommy began to focus on himself and his desire to heal. In his mind, he kept returning to the same issue and the same question. He was adopted at nine months of age and blessed with a good home and new loving parents. However, he learned early on that he was initially a middle child and the only one his birth parents put up for adoption. That fact haunted him and added to his struggles with depression and anxiety. “My whole life, I had this feeling of not being good enough, not fitting in. I often thought, what’s wrong with me that they would give me up?”
Answers and Comfort
Even though he was incarcerated, he was able to track down his birth parents. “I found my birth family, met them and underwent a lengthy healing process. It answered a lot about my past, helped me overcome,” he said.
His adoptive parents were supportive during this process. “My parents are a source of strength and always visited me regularly. They are the sweetest people you’ll ever meet.”
During his sentence, he would share what was changing for the better. They would celebrate his successes.
His parents started to tell him about an activity they had taken up called pickleball. “They loved it and mentioned the community and joy it brought them. “We talked about it all the time,” he said.
Freedom
When the time for his release came, he was two years clean and had the answers and focus needed to move forward, but he was also nervous.
“Getting out was nerve-racking; moving in with my folks after so long away was difficult.” Freedom meant having to impose his own rules and structure to stay clean. Hirsch’s parents had something that would help him, and it was waiting for him when he got home.
“They had a pickleball paddle waiting for me.”
Like so many, he fell in love with the game instantly. It was more than just the sport which consumed him; often playing seven days a week. He was amazed by the people. “It is the community. Where I play, it ranges from age 11-80,” he said.
People of Pickle
At 6′-4″ and covered in prison tattoos, Tommy stood out on the court. “I was filled with fear of getting judged. But not one negative remark ever came my way. No one has ever turned their back on me, for my past or my appearance,” he said.
He loved the mental strategy and challenge the sport offered him. “I’ve had to work on my soft game. As a former racquetball player, I often want to hit hard. This is different. You spend a lot of time thinking.”
It is different, and it is helpful. And he wants others to realize the sport’s benefits, especially those recovering.
The Idea
Hirsch realized that even though serving time was a sad and lonely existence, once he finally focused, there was programming and people that forced him to adhere to a structured schedule centered on addiction recovery. He struggled to find the same type of discipline when he got out. Pickleball was the only thing that kept his head on straight. He had an idea and put it out on Facebook.
“I have been welcome into a community of people that have always been there for me since the first time I walked on the court . And now I wanna share the super fun sport of pickleball with all of u!! I would like to put on a event that is open to the public. Where FELON’S and ex addicts can come and meet some amazing people and get some exercise while learning to channel their frustration as well as celebrating their wins.”
The response to his post has been overwhelming.
“It is one of those things in recovery. Every win is a win. If you have fun, win a couple of games, and leave feeling better, that progress gives you that self worth,” he said. Hirsch has begun searching for a venue and hopes to find a place where people can meet monthly or even bi-monthly and form a community centered on recovery.
“I am trying to get more recovering addicts, new releases, old releases to come out, learn the sport and find a home away from home,” he said. What started with a paddle upon release has led to an idea that he credits the game and its players for sparking inside of him—mind, body, and soul.
Images provided courtesy of Tommy Hirsch.
