Carrie Lane, 65, is healthy and happy. She realizes the biggest reason behind that is pickleball.
“A therapist once asked me if anything is holding you back. Tears started streaming down my eyes.” Lane said. The question triggered a lifetime of memories. And the need to confront those memories.
Pickleball has helped her to move forward. “Pickleball fits into most of my life feeling better. It has kept me from being depressed, my body moving, and my blood flowing. My mind, I’m constantly trying to improve,” Lane said.
Teacher, Sister, Daughter, Mother, Wife
Lane has served many roles in her lifetime. She spent 32 years in the classroom as a special education teacher working with elementary kids. She provided home care for her brother after he underwent a liver transplant. When her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and needed her care, Lane didn’t hesitate to move her family into her parents’ home.
“The hardest part was watching my dad lose my mom. He was there every day, loyal and committed to her,” she said. Carrie helped and watched as her mother struggled and declined, eventually needing a live-in facility. Her father, unbeknownst to everyone, also had Alzheimer’s. She continued to care for them both.
“Dad got worse at one point, even throwing the family out of his house. He didn’t remember doing it the next day. He would require assisted living,” Carrie said.
Her husband noticed the toll it took on her, but Lane kept working at every role and at all hours of the day.
“It was tough watching my parents, who were vital, energetic, competent people lose all that,” she said. Family was vital to Carrie. She didn’t mind the work. It was the decline in their health that stuck with her.
Lane could not spend time processing it all. As a result, she was not taking care of herself. Her husband intervened.
A move
“I was going downhill, and my husband was able to find a less expensive life for us in Arizona. We knew we could manage there financially, and with mom close to passing and dad as well, there was little I could do,” She said.
Other family members had handled the parent’s affairs while Carrie was the caregiver. It was okay for her to leave, but Lane’s adult son Christopher, 32, stayed behind. “I didn’t realize my son Christopher was dealing with mental illness. It was overtaking him,” she said. His mental and emotional illness ended up having us bring him to Arizona,” she said.
It was a lot of work, and Lane sought help in every direction. She also dealt with the difficulty of her parent’s situation in California. After many treatments, Carrie finally got her son into a place where he could get the care and attention he needed, and she could remain a part of it. She is still a significant part of her son’s care.
She was left tired, tearful, and in need of caring for her health. Like so many, she bounced from one issue to the next and forgot about her mental health.
Stress Free Lane
In Arizona, she noticed people playing pickleball. “I thought to myself I could probably do that. I was a tennis player,” she said. She began playing, and the sport became a way of life that allowed her to care for herself.
“The amazing thing is how pickleball helps you to learn how to recognize how your body is feeling, where the stress goes,” Lane said. Her instinct was correct that she could probably play the sport, earning gold in women’s singles, gold in mixed doubles, and silver in doubles at nationals in her first year, playing against younger competitors. She now plays at the 4.0 and 4.5 levels and will compete at nationals again this year.
Playing pickleball also sparked her passion for teaching and learning.
She obtained an IPTPA certification and two additional certifications and also attended pickleball summits.
“Neuro pickleball stood out to me because of my special ed background. I contacted them and went to Colorado to train to improve my game, but I also took a slant as an instructional coach,” she said.
Adding a Neuro Pickleball certification brought a cognitive element to her teaching that her students seemed to love. She also took private lessons with pro Helle Sparre, leading to another certification for coaching.
She teaches 40 student lessons per/month and even utilizes a non-sports certification on brain health she received from the Amen clinic, which had worked with her son to help her with her student’s goals.
“Pickleball has allowed me to work with this population over age 55, and when I see them succeed, it is a win-win. I also have success for myself now. Socially I have great friendships with people from pickleball, a loving community no matter where I travel. It lifts your spirits, and it takes hold of your soul. It just brings your whole life together,” she said.
Changing Lives
She considers pickleball her health weapon and dedicates her pickleball victories to her parents, who have both passed. Lane often thinks of her mother when she plays. Carrie wishes she would have found pickleball sooner and wants to ensure others have it as a healthy option.
She and her business partner, Sophie Chiche, have a plan that will change lives. They have created a concept called Pointmade Pickleball.
“We hope to put retreats together for women in destination locations so we can do pickleball and training on the psychological, body, overall spirit and just bring it all together,” she said.
These will be retreats for groups ranging from retirees to women soon to marry, girlfriend retreats, and even corporate stress relief.
“We will focus on building relationships through pickleball. Everything revolves around pickleball,” she said.
Lane can also be found on Sportsed TV teaching, and she blogs about the sport. Her newest role in life is all things pickleball, exploring, and finding opportunities.
“I am a believer in Jesus, and this is our mission field. Truly we wait for doors to open. When the doors open, we explore and let it sit; if it comes back and resonates, then we know,” she said.
